A Latent Destiny
by elle6778
Summary: DISCONTINUED. The wish was made out of the kindness of her heart. Little did she know that the consequences would be so shocking. And the last thing she expected was to find herself embarking on a journey which brought her closer to a certain taiyoukai.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Title: A Latent Destiny  
Rating: T/PG-13  
Genre: Mainly action/adventure, with romance building up over the course of the story.

Summary: The wish was made out of the kindness of her heart. Little did she know that the consequences would be so shocking. Despite everything that insisted on going wrong, Kagome persevered in mending what she perceived as her error, and found herself embarking on a journey which brought her closer to Sesshoumaru.

A/N: **_April 2009: There are 9 chapters to this story so far, and it is still incomplete. It is currently on hiatus, but it's highly unlikely that I will finish this story since my interest in Inuyasha has dwindled over the years. So, please bear this in mind if you choose to continue reading - This story is incomplete and likely to remain that way. _**

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 1**

The inky night was silent bar the usual sounds of the forest. There was a gentle breeze in the air, ruffling the leaves overhead, sending shafts of moonlight dancing on the ground and upon his person.

Seated in a meditative pose, Sesshoumaru gazed unseeingly at the shallow stream before him. He had traveled far before he finally decided to indulge himself in some much-needed meditation while Rin and Kohaku slept under Jaken and Ah-Un's watchful eyes a fair distance away. The warning youki he had released earlier would ensure that none of them would be bothered.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru inhaled slowly, savoring the scent of nature around him as he allowed his senses to expand further, to merge with his surroundings. It was at such time that he gathered his thoughts of the day, mulling over events that had taken place and their implications. This was the time for him to restore his energy.

The harsh bark of laughter followed by a feminine chortle of delight reached him and his eyes immediately snapped open. Although the sound originated from some distance away, his sensitive hearing ensured that he heard it loud and clear. Irked at the disturbance to his peace, Sesshoumaru frowned disapprovingly. Any youkai would have known better than to do so, which meant that the intruders could only be ignorant humans.

As the infuriating sounds traveled closer, Sesshoumaru stood up and directed his gaze at the direction from whence it came from. The voices were oddly familiar. As he concentrated, he managed to discern the words.

"Are you p-pleased with the gift?" the familiar male voice said, choking back his laughter.

"It's beautiful, but-"

"G-Good."

By now, Sesshoumaru had heard enough to identify the owner of the voices as Inuyasha and the human wench who had been following the hanyou for the last three years. Sesshoumaru's lips instantly curled in distaste. Not only was he disturbed, it had to be his infuriating half-brother who was responsible for this inconvenience. And from what Sesshoumaru could tell, Inuyasha was in his human form tonight, which explained his reduced senses.

"My Lord…" Her voice was hesitant.

Sesshoumaru raised a brow, astonishment instantly replacing his irritation. The wench was addressing Inuyasha as 'My Lord'? How ill-fitting. Though born with Inu-no-Taishou blood in his veins, Inuyasha's countenance was far from appropriate for a lord. What possessed the human wench to address him as such?

Inuyasha let out a choked sound. "I-It is late. You should rest."

"Wait!" A paused followed before the female continued. "My Lord? This gift… I don't understand…"

Sesshoumaru raised a hand, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. There was something utterly intolerable about Inuyasha being addressed as a lord. Also, there was something odd about this conversation. It did not seem real, though from what he could discern from their words, they were apparently courting.

How… revolting.

"A-Are you not pleased enough to accept it?" Inuyasha's voice sound forced.

"Yes. I like it. But why? Why are you giving me such a thing?"

"Should there be a reason?"

"My Lord. I meant no offence, but you're not the type to give presents."

"You once bestowed a gift upon me."

"Yes, but that's me. And you're…you." A rough exhalation of breath was heard. "I just want to know what you mean by it."

"You want to know?"

Sesshoumaru heard the sound of scuffling followed by a feminine shriek of protest. Inuyasha's hysterical laughter filtered through the trees. Once again the miko shrieked in the most reprehensible manner, bringing a scowl onto Sesshoumaru's face.

"Stop it, Inuyasha! I'm going to say it!" the wench warned amidst her strangled breaths.

"What? I was just following the script!"

"The script said nothing about slobbering all over me, you idiot!"

"Keh!"

Script? What were they referring to? Their tone of conversation had changed so much that Sesshoumaru could hardly believe that he was listening to the two same beings. Curious despite himself, he continued to listen, cloaked in the shadows of the forest.

"You said you'd help, Inuyasha," the wench accused.

Inuyasha snorted. "What do you think I'm trying to do here, Kagome? And don't forget that I didn't ask to get pulled into this stupid show."

"If you didn't show up at my school during that festival those years ago, you wouldn't have given them the idea to put you into this year's performance."

"Hey! That's not my fault! You were the one who brought those demons along with you."

"How on earth should I know that those are demons? I thought they were just dried fruits! How am I supposed to know that they'll turn into demons when you stick them on the electric stove?"

Sesshoumaru could only surmise that from the unfamiliarity of the words that the wench was referring to some object in her own time in the future. Still, their conversation was becoming tedious, as one would expect from any conversation involving Inuyasha. It was time he departed. He should seek another location to continue his meditation.

It was quite unfortunate that Inuyasha had chosen that very moment to crash gracelessly through the forest. Right into the place he should avoid, Sesshoumaru thought disapprovingly as the hanyou stared at him in the most unbecoming slack-jawed manner. Instead of his usual silvery white hair, Inuyasha was wearing a headful of black human hair.

"You! What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked warily.

Sesshoumaru pointed out evenly, "It is you who invaded this Sesshoumaru's peace."

Inuyasha's expression turned suspicious. "Keh! You've been around so much that I'm beginning to think that you're following us. Just leave us alone, alright?!"

Eyes narrowing at his brother's rudeness, Sesshoumaru intoned blandly. "Your impertinence knows no bounds, little brother."

"INUYASHA!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sesshoumaru saw the approach of the miko. The moment her gaze landed on him, her eyes widened.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru," she exclaimed with relief. "I thought it was some other nasty demon. Thank Kami it's only you."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed further into irate slits. Did the wench just dismissed his significance? She seemed almost pleased to know that it was him and not another demon. And what gave her the right to address him with such familiarity?

"Get back, Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, you're not fighting with Sesshoumaru today," the wench said firmly. "Remember what day it is?"

"Damn it, Kagome! I'm not weak!" Inuyasha declared vehemently. "And anyway, Sesshoumaru has been turning up all over the place nowadays. Maybe he's looking for a fight."

The miko rolled her eyes. "Osuwari," she intoned quietly.

Inuyasha's reaction was instant. One moment he was glaring at the miko, and the next, he was face down on the ground in the most humiliating pose. Sesshoumaru felt his lips twitch. It never failed to amuse him each time this happened, even though he knew that this degradation should not be borne by someone of Inu-no-Taishou's blood.

Still, for the moment, he would amuse himself at the sight.

* * *

Kagome knew that Sesshoumaru had been around the same area as them recently, but considering that they were all hunting Naraku, such a thing was hardly a surprise. But Inuyasha's continual paranoia about it was beginning to grate on her nerves. Turning away from the cursing and swearing hanyou, Kagome switched her attention to Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai looked as he always did, elegant, poised and altogether unreadable.

The silence was growing awkward. She did not know Sesshoumaru very well. Apart from the first few times when he had actually targeted her, the later encounters had only involved Inuyasha and not her. Though she had to say that she had seen things over the years which led her to believe that he was not all that bad.

After all, Inuyasha was still alive, wasn't he?

Wracking her brain for something to say, she finally settled for, "Umm… So, how are things going?"

She saw a slight thinning of his lips, but that was the only response she received from the taiyoukai. How typical, she thought with growing irritation. There she was trying to be civil and he could not even answer one simple question. She supposed she should have expected it. Why would he be civil to her when he barely talked to his own brother?

"Never mind," she muttered under her breath as she turned around to kneel beside her growling friend. "Are you alright?"

Inuyasha managed to lift his head to glare at her. "What the hell was that for?"

She rolled her eyes. "I couldn't let you fight Sesshoumaru, could I? Anyway, it'll wear off in a minute."

When she looked over her shoulders, Sesshoumaru was gone.

Inuyasha peeled himself off the ground. "Damn it, Kagome! I wasn't really going to fight him," he snapped irritably as he brushed the dirt off himself.

She straightened defensively. "How should I know? I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Keh! As if that's going to happen anytime soon. And anyway, we haven't fought for a while." He frowned thoughtfully. "I haven't tried my _Kongosoha_ on him yet."

Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Next time, don't expect me to heal you when you end up being torn apart by Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha snorted in disbelief. "Then Kikyo can do it."

As if on queue, the undead miko stepped silently out of the shadows. Her pensive eyes turned from one of them to the other, making Kagome feel acutely uncomfortable. Kikyo always made her feel this way when she was anywhere near Inuyasha. Like she should not be too close to Inuyasha.

"Kikyo," she greeted quietly.

The resurrected miko gave her a small smile. "Kagome. Shippou is looking for you."

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, and then took a step away. "Then I guess I'd better head back to the village, huh?"

Waving her fingers at both of them, she turned around and began to walk away. As she pushed past the forest foliage to return to the village, Kagome mulled over the situation between her, Inuyasha and Kikyo. Her lips twisted. No, not her. Just Inuyasha and Kikyo, she corrected wistfully. She should be used to it by now, shouldn't she? After all Kikyo has been traveling with them for the last few months and it was clear what was happening between Inuyasha and Kikyo.

She really wanted to hate the older miko and she had done so, at first. But as time passed, she had been forced to see the truth. Inuyasha might love her, Kagome, but he would always love Kikyo more because he was _in love_ with Kikyo.

A resigned sigh escaped her. Ah well, it was not as if she was an old maid just yet, right? She was only eighteen. Inuyasha might be her first love, but in time, she would find someone else. Right? She would be going back to the future to visit her family tomorrow. Maybe that would be a good time to do something about it.

She took a deep, fortifying breath and clapped her hands together. Yes, she would remain optimistic and take things as they came. Who knew, maybe the one she was destined to be with would show up sooner than she thought.

If such a thing like destiny existed.

* * *

It was dawn when Sesshoumaru finally returned to gather his ward, Kohaku, Jaken and Ah-Un. While Kohaku sat silently under a tree, Rin rushed towards forward, ending up with her arms wrapped around one of his legs.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she greeted cheerfully, her brown eyes shining with innocent happiness.

"Rin," he intoned as he placed a hand on her head. Even after almost three years, he still could not comprehend his strange attachment to this ningen child. However, he had long decided that it was pointless to ponder upon the reasons for it. Rin's presence pleased him, and he would ensure that she remained by his side.

"Kohaku brought us some breakfast," Rin declared, pulling out a wrinkled package.

His nose told him that it contained rice. Glancing away from his ward, his gaze went to the human Rin had found a few months ago.

Both the human boy and his undead miko companion had been gravely injured by Naraku when Rin had stumbled upon them. Inuyasha and his companions had arrived soon afterwards. Between them, Naraku had been driven away once again, leaving the last Shikon shard safe in Kohaku's neck. Irked at the entire debacle, Sesshoumaru had decided then to bring Kohaku with them, ignoring the protests from Inuyasha and the rest. The last thing he intended was for Naraku to lay his filthy hand on the final shard, and it was clear that Inuyasha and the rest were far from competent guards.

Kohaku stood up to walk towards them. "Sesshoumaru-sama," the slayer greeted. "Those in the village nearby gave me some rice balls. I hope that it was alright to share them with Rin."

"Hn."

"Can we visit the demon slayers' old village? Kohaku told me about it and I want to see it," she said, blinking up questioningly at him.

Sesshoumaru stilled. Rin wished to see the demon slayers' village? He did not wish to disappoint her. However, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Naraku had to be found and he had no intention of taking a detour. Annoyed that Kohaku had brought such a thing to Rin's mind, he cast a cold look at the slayer, who had the grace to look embarrassed.

However, before he could respond to Rin's question, his senses sharpened at the familiar scent in the distance. Eyes narrowing, he hissed under his breath, "Naraku."

Jaken squawked in alarm. "Sesshoumaru-sama! The despicable hanyou, is he present?"

"Hn."

Turning to his retainer, Sesshoumaru instructed, "Take Rin and head towards the west."

A pair of bulging eyes blinked at him. "B-But… You will be alone."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "You imply that this Sesshoumaru is incapable of defeating Naraku?"

Jaken gulped and shook his head quickly.

A soft tug on his hakama brought Sesshoumaru's attention to Rin. Giving him an earnest look, Rin declared, "Rin will be safe with Jaken-sama and Kohaku. Please take care, Sesshoumaru-sama."

He gazed at her silently for a moment, and then he nodded. Apparently satisfied, Rin bounded off after Jaken. Kohaku made to follow him. Turning to the slayer, Sesshoumaru hardened his expression. "You will remain with them."

The slayer hesitated momentarily, and then he nodded, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

The two humans and Jaken immediately mounted Ah-Un. With a quiet rumble, the beast soared into the sky. Satisfied that they would be out of harm's way, Sesshoumaru headed towards the opposite direction. He had searched for Naraku for the last few cycles of the moon without success and now, he would ensure that the hanyou did not escape. His hand reached down to touch the hilt of Tenseiga, the only blade he possessed ever since Toukijin was destroyed during the battle with Moryomaru. It did not matter, for Toukijin was simply made out of a lowly oni.

His own strength would prevail against Naraku.

* * *

The tension in the air was practically crackling.

They were standing in a clearing at the base of a cliff, surrounded by a dense forest which protected them from the worst of the wind. But their position was far from ideal, considering that Naraku was looking down at them from his perch atop the cliff. They were effectively trapped. But then again, that was probably Naraku's intention all along.

Flanking her was Sango and Miroku, both prepared for battle, even though this was the last thing they had expected this morning when they woke up. The appearance of Naraku's trademark dark miasma had caught them by surprise, since the hanyou had been missing for months. Shouting a warning to Kaede and the villagers to stay indoors, they had rushed out to chase after Naraku only to be led to this clearing.

Kagome cast her eyes towards her right. Considering how violent these encounters were, they were too close to the Bone-Eater's well for her comfort. The well was separated from this clearing only by a thin strip of forest. But she could not afford to think about that now. Gritting her teeth, Kagome stood in battle stance with a glowing arrow taut against her bow. Kikyo was in a similar pose at the opposite side of the clearing, her expression betraying nothing but utter calmness as she stared up the cliff. Kagome wished that she could be that calm. On second thoughts, it was probably impossible because she had to have that sort of composed temperament in the first place.

"My, my… what a wonderful surprise to find all of you gathered here," Naraku drawled mockingly.

Fangs bared, Inuyasha shouted from the middle of the clearing, "Get down here and fight, you coward!"

"Kagome…" Shippou whispered nervously from behind her. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Shh… it'll be alright. Just stay close to me, alright?" Kagome soothed.

Naraku's laughter echoed across the clearing. "Get down there, you say?" he sneered. "As you wish."

Kagome choked back a gasp when the wing-like flaps behind Naraku spread out just as he leapt down the cliff into the middle of the clearing. He did not seem concerned at all that he was surrounded by them. Instead, his eyed them one by one until he reached her.

"The protector who failed to protect the Shikon-no-Tama." His red eyes narrowed. "I will complete the jewel today right before your eyes."

"Keh! The shard isn't even here with us, you idiot!" Inuyasha shot back.

Naraku raised a brow. "We shall see about that."

"I'm sick of hearing your voice!" Inuyasha yelled as he charged. "_Kongosoha!"_

At the signal, Sango and Miroku sprung into action. Hiraikotsu spun through the air at a deadly speed, headed straight for Naraku as Inuyasha brought down his Tetsusaiga. A barrage of diamond spikes shot out of the fang, reaching for Naraku but before anything could connect, a shimmering red barrier closed around the smirking hanyou. To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha's attack was repelled. Kongosoha used to be just about the only thing that could penetrate the barrier.

"His barrier has gotten stronger, damn it!" Inuyasha snarled as he streaked forward. "Stop hiding behind your barrier, you bastard!"

Kagome knew that they had to try to break the barrier. Raising her bow and arrow, she took aim and shot just as Tetsusaiga threw another attack at the barrier. To her delight, the barrier wavered. It was not quite enough yet, but it was a start.

"Again, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

Her eyes met Kikyo's then, and with a nod of unspoken agreement, both of them raised their bows and aimed. Their glowing arrows hit the barrier the instant Inuyasha's red blade connected. As cracks began to appear in his barrier, Naraku's expression twisted in irritation.

"Hah! We'll get you soon!" Inuyasha declared smugly. "Just wait!"

Kagome's eyes widened in alarm when Naraku lifted his arms to retaliate. Inuyasha was the closest target at this moment. "Watch out, Inuyasha!" she yelled frantically.

The unstable barrier exploded outwards, throwing Inuyasha towards them and sending waves of demonic energy rippling across the clearing. Kagome twisted around, hunching over a shaking Shippou to shield him from the energy blast. When the last of the waves had passed, she quickly straightened and to her relief, found that none of her friends were injured.

She glanced down at the white-haired hanyou nearby. "You're alright, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha nodded once, and then got to his feet. "That's all you got, Naraku?" he taunted.

Ignoring his words, Naraku raised his eyes to the top of the cliff. "Look who has decided to join us," he mused, raising a brow. "Came to save your little brother, Sesshoumaru?"

Surprised, but keeping her hands firmly on her bow and arrow, Kagome glanced out of the corner of her eyes to find Sesshoumaru standing high on the cliff in all his aristocratic glory. He was staring down at Naraku with a look of utter disdain.

"You stay out of this, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Silence, little brother." The taiyoukai's tone was condescending.

Inuyasha instantly bristled, but before he could open his mouth, Kagome hissed at him, "Let it go, Inuyasha! This is not the time to squabble with Sesshoumaru."

Even from that distance, Sesshoumaru had obviously heard her. But apart from casting her a contemptuous look, he said nothing. Then her attention was drawn to the approaching swarm of youkai spreading towards them from beyond the forest. The sight was a familiar one, Kagome thought with annoyance. Naraku always brought his youkai reinforcements, the coward.

Lifting her bow and arrow, she aimed towards the middle of the dense swarm. Her arrow whizzed brightly through the air before it connected with its targets. Guttural howls broke from the wounded youkai as the swarm dispersed in all directions.

"Sango, Miroku, two of you take the left, I'll do the right!" Inuyasha yelled as he leapt forward.

Sango and Miroku nodded, and then Kirara brought them to the left. Her bow and arrow strung in readiness, Kikyo stood on the opposite side. They effectively surrounded the still smirking Naraku.

After so many years of fighting, Kagome knew that she had to remain distanced from the main bulk of the swarm so that her arrows would work. Close quarter combat was not something she was good at, but as long as she was somewhat distanced, she could release shot after shot of arrows infused with her miko power. Those youkai who dared to venture close was rewarded with blasts of Shippou's improved foxfire.

As the battle heated up, Kagome periodically scanned the battlefield to check on her fighting friends. Perched on Kirara, Sango repeatedly sent her Hiraikotsu spinning through the air, slicing into any available youkai. Miroku was dealing with the ground-based opponents, using his Shakujo staff to destroy them. Further to the right, Inuyasha was leaping from one youkai after another, taking them down with his Tetsusaiga while Kikyo covered the flying youkai above him.

Then Kagome's eyes landed on the taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru's attention was fixed intently on Naraku as he made his way through the swarm, only extending his one hand to swipe them aside like inconsequential flies when the low-level youkai got in his way. To her surprise, she noted that Naraku did not seemed concerned by Sesshoumaru's approach. Instead, the hanyou simply waited with a knowing smirk. She could not help but wonder what Naraku was up to and if this was actually a trap.

"Kagome! Watch out!"

Shippou's warning instantly snapped her out of her contemplations. Kagome's eyes widened when a youkai flew straight at them from the side. Not even thinking, she pulled her arrow from the bow just in time to drive the sharp tip into the belly of the flying youkai, stopping it just moments before it attacked.

"That was close," Shippou exclaimed shakily as Kagome yanked the arrow out of the youkai, grimacing as she did so.

Drawing the bloody arrow back against the bow, Kagome said apologetically, "Sorry, Shippou. I didn't see that coming." The youkai swarm was thinning visibly, she noted with relief. Soon they could focus on Naraku instead of his pests.

"Kagome…"

Eyes still fixed on another incoming youkai, she did not respond until her arrow hit the target. Then she glanced down to find Shippou looking worriedly into the distance. Wondering what had caught his attention, Kagome followed his gaze only to suck in a sharp breath.

"No…" Kagome whispered shakily as her blood ran cold.

Kohaku was there, wearing a blank expression as he pulled a screaming girl forward. His deadly sickle held to Rin's throat, Kohaku's eyes were eerily empty, confirming that he was not in control of himself. So that was why Naraku was not concerned about Sesshoumaru. Naraku had planned for this to happen.

"Kohaku!" Sango yelled, instantly turning around to head towards her brother.

Keeping his hold on Rin, Kohaku jumped away from his approaching sister. He was headed away from them, running towards the forest. As Kagome watched with growing horror, Sesshoumaru's swung his attention away from Naraku. Now his gaze were fixed on the possessed boy, his eyes gleaming with fury.

"Release her at once," the taiyoukai snarled from across the battlefield.

Kohaku did not respond. Instead, he stepped into the forest with a struggling Rin in his arms. Sesshoumaru tried to follow, only to be blocked by a fresh batch of youkai.

With a slash to decimate more of the youkai swarm, Inuyasha spun around, his eyes widening as he took in the latest development. "What the hell are you doing, Kohaku?!"

"Kohaku! Don't do this, please!" Sango pled as she chased after her brother.

As Shippou clung to her back, Kagome decided to follow and ran into the forest. She was determined to make sure that no one got killed. Gripping her bow tightly, noticed that Kikyo and Miroku had joined her.

"Kagome, we're headed towards the well," the kitsune exclaimed nervously.

She grimaced. "I know. Hopefully nothing will happen to it," she muttered as they broke out of the forest into the clearing. The well was visible, but they were far enough that nothing should get to it.

A maniacal laughter filtered through the trees, drawing Kagome's attention away from Shippou and onto Naraku who had just emerged. "Touching, don't you think, Inuyasha? What would happen, I wonder, if Kohaku kills Sesshoumaru's little pet?" Naraku mocked as he launched into to air to glide in the direction Kohaku had taken.

Swinging Tetsusaiga around, Inuyasha growled, "You talk too much! Stop controlling Kohaku and fight!"

Pausing mid-air, Naraku's eyes narrowed. "You want a fight, I'll give you a fight," he hissed.

Kagome tensed in preparation when tentacles shot out in all directions from Naraku's back, her bow and arrow now aimed at their enemy. Between her and Inuyasha, they would have to make sure that Naraku was occupied. Sesshoumaru was not far behind, but he was being delayed by Naraku's never-ending tentacles. She knew that the taiyoukai would save Rin, but he needed the rest of them to distract Naraku.

A flash of white out of the corner of her eyes caught Kagome's attention just as her arrow pierced one of Naraku's tentacles. She glanced around to find Kikyo aiming at Kohaku, her features set in a grim expression.

"Let the girl go, Kohaku," Kikyo said in an uncompromising voice.

Kohaku did not respond. Kagome gasped when an angry Sango rushed forward to stop the resurrected miko from killing her brother. "Kikyo! Sango! Don't do it!" she yelled.

Inuyasha paused at the sight, his eyes widening in alarm. The brief moment of distraction allowed Naraku to drive a tentacle into his shoulders. As Inuyasha cried out in pain, Kagome tore eyes away from Kikyo and Sango. Aiming, she shot at Naraku again. When her glowing arrow forced Naraku to retract his tentacle, Inuyasha stumbled towards Sango. Kagome almost groaned when she realized that she was left alone with Shippou to deal with Naraku. Fortunately for her, Miroku seemed to have noted her predicament and immediately left Sango to come to her side.

"Tsk…tsk…Your friends abandoning you, I see," Naraku sneered.

Deciding that it was pointless to argue with him, Kagome simply shot off another arrow while Miroku took care of the newly arrived youkai swarm around them. Reaching back for another arrow, she almost cursed out loud when she realized that she only had three left. At times like this, she wished that she had proper combat training. Relying solely on arrows was a severe disadvantage.

Naraku hissed in fury when another of her arrow pierced him. When he retaliated with two spiked claws bursting from his shoulders, Kagome instantly brought up a barrier around her, Miroku and Shippou. A quick glance out of her barrier towards her friends made her gasp.

The situation was growing more unpredictable by the second with their current stand off. Rin was being held captive by Kohaku, Kohaku was being threatened by Kikyo, Kikyo being warned off Kohaku by Sango and Inuyasha was rushing madly towards the fray with Sesshoumaru coming in from the opposite direction.

"Kikyo, no! Stop right there!" Sango shouted, aiming her Hiraikotsu at the other woman. "I swear I will throw this at you."

"Damn it, Sango! Don't do anything stupid," Inuyasha yelled harshly.

Kikyo showed no sign which indicated that she had heard either of them. The bowstring tautened further and in one swift move, Kikyo's glowing arrow sped through the air right at Kohaku. With a shriek of anguish, Sango released her Hiraikotsu at the undead miko.

Kagome felt as if she was frozen to the spot. There was not enough time to do anything but to watch with horror as Kikyo's arrow pierced Kohaku's back, right where the tainted jewel laid. At the same time, Sango's Hiraikotsu connected with Kikyo's chest, sending the resurrected miko smashing into the side of the cliff. The undead miko's body began to deteriorate into dust as the stolen soul floated like wisps of smoke into the air.

"No…" Kagome choked out.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha roared, launching himself towards the wisps which used to be Kikyo.

But he was too late.

* * *

Sesshoumaru shot forward just in time to catch Rin's body before she hit the ground. He had attempted to get to her earlier only to be thwarted by Naraku with each step he took. It was close, too close. Naraku would pay for this, he growled inwardly as he glanced down at Rin.

He immediately went cold. Dread filled him when he realized that he could sense nothing from the little body. There was no sound of heartbeat and he could not hear or feel her gentle breath. Shifting her slightly, his eyes landed on the thin line across her neck which was now beginning to trickle with blood. The slayer's sickle had sliced across her neck.

No.

Ignoring the sounds of battle around him, Sesshoumaru lowered her to his lap and unsheathed Tenseiga.

He waited for it to pulse, but there was nothing. The blade was not responding and he could not see the pallbearers of the afterlife around Rin. His fingers clenched tightly around the hilt, willing it to respond. What was the meaning of this? Why would Tenseiga fail him now? Could it be that Tenseiga could only be utilized once for each life?

Slowly, his fingers unfurled.

The soft thud of the blade falling to the ground barely registered. His attention was fixed onto the lifeless body in his lap. No words escaped his lips, the clamor of protest only pounded loudly in his mind. This could not be. Rin could not be dead. An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside him, painfully hot and cold at the same time. He could feel a lump in his throat and his chest felt strained, as if it was breaking apart.

Rin. The only one he sought to protect with his life. And he had failed. He could no longer lay his eyes upon her smile. He could no longer hear her voice. He could no longer feel her little fingers tugging him. He closed his eyes, forcing his mind to accept the devastating fact, forcing himself to suppress his anguish so that he could recompose himself.

Gently laying Rin down on the ground, Sesshoumaru straightened to his full height. His fingers clenched into a fist.

Naraku.

This was all due to his manipulating.

Fury like none other flared up within Sesshoumaru. Youki crackled thick and heavy around him as his body began to stretch, his fangs and limbs elongating in reaction to his expanding anger. He flung his head back as the raw power coursed through him. He would transform into his true form and made sure that Naraku paid for this with his life. His blood pounded in his ears, and he opened his mouth to release a snarl of pure rage.

Then he stilled.

There was something different about it. Something he had never felt before during his past transformations. Pausing, he glanced down. What remained of his left arm, the stump, was glowing. His lips parted in a silent gasp when the stump elongated right before his eyes. He had expected it to grow over centuries to come, therefore the sudden regeneration was unexpected. A bright flare followed and he could not help but wince at the sharp pain shooting down the arm. A spear of light glinted off a shiny surface, puzzling him even further.

When the bright flare finally dissipated, Sesshoumaru found himself staring in astonishment at the unfamiliar blade held in his fully reformed left hand. What was it? How had it appeared from within him? Then, realizing that nothing weak could possibly be born out of his own body, Sesshoumaru tightened his grip. Somehow or other, his anguish over Rin's death must have called forth this blade.

And Naraku would be the first to perish at the tip of this blade.

Prepared for battle, Sesshoumaru turned around only to find that the entire battle had paused. Everyone was turned towards him, wearing varying expressions of shock. Their reactions were of no interest to him. His attention immediately landed on Naraku. The hanyou's expression betrayed nothing, but the tension in his body told Sesshoumaru all he needed to know.

Inuyasha was the one to break the silence. "What the hell was that?"

Not turning away from Naraku, Sesshoumaru bit out, "It does not concern you, Inuyasha. Stand back."

"What?! I'm not backing away from this!" Inuyasha declared heatedly.

Naraku smirked. "What? Another new sword, Sesshoumaru? Shall we test it then?"

Sesshoumaru shifted the blade to his right hand and without warning, streaked straight at the hanyou. Expecting the move, Naraku instantly sprung into the air with his tentacles exploding outwards. The writhing appendages shot towards him, and Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in anticipation. In a swift move, he sliced across the tentacles, sending the severed ends flying across the clearing.

"Tsk… tsk… Have you not learnt? I can just regene-" Naraku broke off abruptly.

Landing some distance away, Sesshoumaru watched with satisfaction as Naraku's eyes widened in shock. The hanyou had just realized that he could no longer regenerate. Sesshoumaru directed a quick glance down at the carvings on the blade, silently pleased at its ability. Naraku was at a disadvantage without the ability to regenerate.

Inuyasha's humorless laughter reached him. "Let's see how you like my attacks now that you can't regenerate!" the hanyou spat darkly as he brought Tetsusaiga down. _"Kongosoha!"_

The diamond shards pierced Naraku's body, tearing away his tentacles. Mouth open in a snarl of outrage, Naraku lashed back. Purplish spikes shot out from his elbows, laced with dark energy. Sesshoumaru hissed as one of those spikes grazed his arm. Holding his new blade in front of him, Sesshoumaru released a blast of youki straight at the hanyou.

Naraku staggered backwards when the attack connected with him. Eyes glittering with hatred, the hanyou snarled, "I will not let you win!" With that, the hanyou rose into the air.

No. He would not allow Naraku to escape. Fingers tightening around the hilt, Sesshoumaru directed another offensive youki strike at the fleeing hanyou. At the same time, Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga downwards.

"_Kongosoha!"_

The two attacks connected with Naraku at the same time. His cry of pain pierced the air as the diamond shards glowing with the youki attack fractured his body part by part. Shafts of dark beams radiated from Naraku's body as he arched backwards, his face contorted in agony.

Then a deafening crack split the air as his body disintegrated.

Sesshoumaru simply stared as the tainted jewel dropped to the ground. Naraku was finally destroyed and Rin's death was avenged. Although the hanyou's demise was gratifying, Sesshoumaru could not help but feel somewhat empty at the victory when his eyes went to Rin's unmoving body. It did not matter how many were killed.

Nothing would bring Rin back to life.

* * *

It was silent.

The sort of silence one would expect after a momentous event. There were neither the usual sounds from the forest creatures, nor the flora which surrounded them. But if one tried hard enough, one could hear the almost silent sound of the wind blowing past them, as if to reassure them that they were still alive.

The warm breeze ruffled her hair and those of her comrades, but Kagome barely felt it. Still stunned from what they had just achieved, Kagome stared numbly as Inuyasha's white mane shifted gently in the wind. He was crouched over the pile of dust which used to be Kikyo with Shippou standing silently beside him.

Naraku was gone.

Dragging her eyes from her long-time friend, Kagome looked down at the complete Shikon no Tama nestled in her bloody palm. Shippou had collected the last of the shard from Kohaku's body and Inuyasha had given her the rest. Three years of her life had been spent hunting this small jewel down, gathering the scattered shards, and now, it was whole again.

"We did it," she whispered.

But victory felt rather hollow considering the number of fatalities.

Rin, Kohaku and Kikyo.

Kagome turned toward Sango who was cradling a lifeless Kohaku in her arms, noticing that the taijiya wore a bittersweet expression. Tear tracks glistened down her cheeks, the evidence of her anguish. A worried Miroku was seated beside her, lending her his silent support.

Then Kagome's eyes strayed towards the taiyoukai standing apart from them. Face set in his usual impenetrable mask, Sesshoumaru simply regarded them wordlessly. The only outward sign of his sadness was the bleakness in his golden eyes. Kagome did not know whether he had come across them by chance, or he had been tailing them all along. Whatever it was, she was glad that he had joined in, otherwise they might not have made it.

But at what price, Kagome wondered sadly. The taiyoukai had lost Rin, the only person that Kagome suspected had managed to instill some emotions in the stoic lord. Was it all worth it?

She glanced at the completed jewel in her hand. Some time ago, they had all decided that it was best for her to not make the wish. After all, no one could tell if the wish was pure or not and because of that, they should not risk it. She was supposed to bring the jewel to the future with her and keep it there. Then, from time to time, she could use it to return to visit her friends once in a while. It was what she wanted as well because the thought of leaving her friends for good tore her up inside.

Still, a wish would bring smiles back onto their faces. She wanted nothing for herself, but her friends certainly deserved to have more after what they had gone through. None of them would agree with her, she knew. Because they were just like that.

She had to do it now. There was no reason to delay. With a heavy heart, she stood up. Quietly, she made her way to the well, careful not to attract any attention. Seated at the rim of the Bone-Eater's Well, Kagome brought the completed Shikon-no-Tama up to eye level. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to prepare herself to make the wish.

"I wish for my friends… and Sesshoumaru to regain the loved ones they had lost at Naraku's hands," she whispered softly.

The jewel instantly glowed right before her eyes. Its brightness intensified by the second until she was blinded to everything but the pure white light. It pulsed together with her, sending waves and waves of energy spreading outwards. When the light dimmed slightly, Kagome began to notice that the jewel was fading.

And so were her hands.

A shaky smile crossed her lips as she looked beyond the dissipating light towards her shocked friends. Even though Sesshoumaru was standing some distance away, she could see that he, too was surprised. Sweeping her eyes past him, her gaze landed on the small form of Rin.

The little girl was stirring.

It worked, she realized as relief coursed through her. She tried to find Kikyo and Kohaku, but the rest of her friends were rushing towards her, blocking her view. They would not reach her in time, she noted sorrowfully. Not that it would make any difference if they did.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, his eyes wide with alarm. "What are you doing?!"

"I've got to go now," she said quietly.

"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku called out in unison.

Shippou let out a strangled cry as he sped towards her. "Kagome! Don't go! You said you'll stay!"

"I know, Shippou. I'm sorry." A lump formed in her throat, choking her. "P-Please take care, all of you. Be happy. I love you all."

Then she leaned back and felt the air rush past her as she fell through the well.

She was instantly enveloped by a strange feeling. There was the usual shimmering blue around her, but she felt fuzzy, like everything was unreal. Something was touching her. What was it? Panic overwhelmed her for a moment, until she felt its non-threatening nature. It was warm, somewhat familiar and it was embracing her. Filled with a languid sensation, she closed her eyes. For a moment, she saw flashes of images she could not identify but once again, it felt familiar.

Her feet touched solid ground. That odd feeling intensified, and she reeled back blindly as her mind was bombarded with unfamiliar images, none of which she could quite put her finger on. Something wrapped around her, seeping into her. What was going on?

Then it was gone.

Relieved the weird sensation had stopped, but finally figuring that it was probably due to the fact that the Shikon-no-Tama was now gone, Kagome opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by the four walls of the well, shadowed in darkness. She was home, she thought with a pang of bittersweet emotion. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Her job in the Feudal Era was done and she was now home to live a normal live. Somehow, the idea was not that appealing, but she knew that it could not be helped. She had made so many plans before, like visiting the Feudal Era over the weekends, seeing how things develop between her friends, watching Shippou grow up…

She choked on a sob. But now, there was no way back, right? Feeling drained, she sank to the floor. She would miss them dreadfully, but it was not as if she did not know what would happen when she made that wish. They would be happy with their loved ones now. Sure she was miserable about it, but it was worth it, right?

Pushing herself to her feet, she took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. Well, she just have to make the best of it, she decided firmly. She had to further her studies and then find a normal job. Maybe she could go into something which made use of her knowledge of the Feudal Era.

Brushing away her thoughts, she began to climb up the well. When she reached the top, she swung her feet over the rim and stood staring at the familiar wooden structure surrounding her.

A tingling at her side caught her attention and her hands came up in reflex. Glancing down, she instantly paled when she saw a somewhat familiar pinkish glow at her side. The Shikon-no-Tama was back inside her? This was impossible. She had made a wish. Why would the jewel be within her once again? Had something gone wrong with the wish? She continued to stare at the glow and only now she noticed that there was something different about it.

Filled with trepidation, Kagome let her hand fall as she turned around to eye the well. What happened? Did she do something wrong? But that could not be right. She saw Rin move. It must have worked. Did she miss something? Or this entire thing about the Shikon-no-Tama disappearing after a pure wish was simply a false rumor? Maybe the jewel would not disappear no matter what she did. Should she go back in and make another wish?

Groaning helplessly, she clapped a hand to her forehead. Maybe she should just take a break, rest a little before she went back there again. She deserved a bath after all the fighting. Then she would start thinking of what to do.

Mind made up, Kagome walked across the wellhouse to the door and yanked it open.

Then she froze, gaping at the figure blocking her exit.

"Sesshoumaru?" she squeaked disbelievingly.

What was going on? Was she dreaming or something? She blinked quickly, trying to dispel the image that could not possibly be there. But he was still there, as real as she was, staring at her silently. He looked just like he did a moment ago when she left the feudal era, dressed in his pristine white silk kimono. Then her eyes narrowed in suspicion as a single thought occurred to her.

"You followed me through the well?" she asked warily. But how? She had always thought that only she and Inuyasha could go through the well to her time. And Sesshoumaru must have gone through before she did, because how else could he be standing outside the wellhouse?

His eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

Planting her hands on her hips, Kagome frowned. "Look, Sesshoumaru. You've got to go back. This is not your time, as you've probably noticed."

"You're mistaken, Miko."

Kagome's frown deepened. "What do you mean, I'm mistaken? This is my time, and yours is back there through the well." She pointed at the well to emphasize her words.

His gaze hardened. She had not seen that look directed at her for sometime now. Alarmed, Kagome took an involuntary step back into the wellhouse. Then, realizing what she was doing, she instantly stiffened her spine. She would not let Sesshoumaru intimidate her. She knew by now that he did not kill randomly, so it was unlikely that he would harm her.

When he spoke again, his voice was flat. "Whilst it is true that this is your time, you will find that it is not as you remembered."

"What…" she faltered in confusion. What was he talking about? Baffled, she could only stare as he stepped away from the door to reveal what his body was shielding.

Kagome felt her breath rush out of her lungs at the view which greeted her.

The sky was painted an eerie hue of purple and red, even though it was clear that it was neither dawn nor dusk. A faint smell which reminded her of burnt trees mingled with the scent she associated with demonic youki filled the air. As her eyes traveled downwards towards the horizon, she realized that she could not see any of the usual apartment blocks built not far from the shrine. Her gaze swept further down to the ground in front of her, expecting to find the familiar concrete paving, only to find herself staring at an expanse of ground dotted with wilting grass.

"Where am I?" she whispered apprehensively.

(t.b.c.)

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for your encouragement in the previous chapter. Here's the next one, and I hope that you'll like it. It's still at the stage where I'm trying to set the background, and the main plot will only begin in the next couple of chapters.

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 2**

Sesshoumaru glanced around briefly, taking note of the familiar landscape before his eyes settled on the miko. He had his doubts, but it appeared that Inuyasha had told him the truth after all. This miko in front of him was unmistakably the one from five hundred years ago, and her slack-jawed expression confirmed that she was very much surprised by her surroundings.

"Where am I?" the miko whispered again.

"Your family shrine," he supplied. He had thought that she was intelligent enough to deduce that much. Perhaps he had overestimated her worth. Unless, of course, the shrine in her version of the future was different from the one he knew.

"What happened here, Sesshoumaru?" she asked, sounding pitifully lost.

Suddenly concerned that someone might see her, Sesshoumaru glanced quickly behind him before returning his attention to the miko, allowing his eyes to run down her figure. She was still clad in her miniscule white and green attire.

This would not do.

"You will wait here," he instructed, reaching out to push the door shut.

Her eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean, wait here? Sesshoumaru, what's going on?"

"I will explain once I return. You will remain inside the wellhouse."

"Return? When?"

Tiring of her questions, his lips thinned. "Miko…" he bit out in warning. "Do not be difficult."

For a moment, she looked as if she was about to protest. Then, to his relief, she finally relented. "Fine. Wherever you're going, come back here fast, alright?"

Deeming it unnecessary to answer, Sesshoumaru spun around and headed to her home. He grimaced inwardly at the notion what he had to do next. The miko's mother was in the house, and it would certainly be awkward if he was detected. Still, it could not be helped.

Fanning out his senses, he noted that her mother was in the kitchen. Without hesitation, he launched himself up in the air and straight through the window into the miko's bedroom. He went to her cupboard and opened it. Reaching in, he pulled out one of her miko outfits, instantly deciding that the task of rummaging through female clothes was not something he had any intention of repeating anytime soon. Once he rolled the clothes into a bundle, he left the room through the window to return to the well.

It was not long before he arrived at the wellhouse again to find the miko waiting for him. Wordlessly, he held out her clothes to her. The look she gave him was full of misgiving. Nonetheless, she accepted the offering.

"What is this?"

"Your clothes."

She stared doubtfully down at the bundle in her hands. "I don't remember owning something this."

"Your… present self had disappeared the moment you stepped through the well. Your attire is no longer suitable. These garments are similar to what she had worn. I assume you do not wish to alarm your mother."

Clutching the bundle to her chest, she gasped. "What do you mean my present self?"

Resigned to the fact that he had to explain everything sooner or later, he said, "The one who has been living here for the past eighteen years. Unless you remember living such a life, I can only presume that you are two different individuals."

Confusion suffused her features. "But… My life… Two different…" She hesitated. "What about my mother? She knew about the well. And…" she faltered uncertainly.

"It is doubtful that your mother is aware of the well's abilities." He directed a pointed stare at her current attire. "And she certainly would not expect to see you dressed in such a manner."

The miko frowned, putting her hand on her forehead. "I don't understand. How can my…other self be here, while I'm back there? How can I be in two places at the same time?"

Not knowing the answer to her question, he chose not to respond. Being the only one that had ever traveled to the future, Inuyasha was the only one who had questioned the state it was currently in. And according to Inuyasha, the change was possibly due to the wish that the miko had made five hundred years ago.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Perhaps it is the result of the wish."

Her eyes rounded. "The wish? The wish caused all this? Wait! If you've been here all this time…" She paused, frowning contemplatively before she continued, "If there was a problem with the wish, then why you didn't approach me earlier?"

"It is obvious that you haven't listened well. The 'future' you have known is not this one. Therefore 'you' were not present. Your other self did not travel to the future."

A heartfelt groan escaped her. "What am I going to say to Mama?"

"It would be wise for you to assume that you know nothing of the past." Impatient to get this over with, he said, "Change. Then we will continue."

The miko simply gaped at him as he shut the door in her face.

Turning away from the wellhouse, Sesshoumaru began to scan the surroundings, noting the slight glow around the shrine grounds. It was the barrier that had been erected in the past by the houshi. As far as he understood from snippets of conversation between Shippou and Inuyasha, the barrier's purpose was to keep at bay those with malevolent intents, and astoundingly, it had held up after all these centuries.

This miko was just as he had remembered from five hundred years ago. Still, even though he had been watching the other miko from afar over the past three years, he did not know the other version well enough to judge if they were any different. Apparently Inuyasha had watched the miko of the current time grow from childhood to adulthood only to realize that her fifteenth birthday had passed without her entering the well. Thus it was clear that the miko knew nothing of the well's mysterious abilities.

Inuyasha had decided that it was best for them to remain hidden, for the fear of accidentally manipulating the future again. However, there had been a number of occasions where they had been forced to reveal their presence, times when she had been attacked.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at the wellhouse, knowing what he had to do next. Inuyasha had asked him, Sesshoumaru, to take his place. Therefore, he had given his word to Inuyasha to explain to the miko what had happened over the last five hundred years, even though Shippou could have carried out the deed. Sesshoumaru knew that Inuyasha wished for her to repair the damage done to the timeline. Not knowing how things were meant to be in the first place, his only concern was the effect it would have on himself if the miko returned to the past and attempted to change what followed after the wish.

He sighed inwardly. Explaining the past five hundred years to the miko was the simple part.

The only thing that he was averse to was the second part of his brother's wish.

* * *

Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back against the door, wondering if this was all a dream. It could not be real. It was too MUCH to be real. Her hand went to the jewel in her side. But the presence of the Shikon-no-Tama forced her to believe that something had really gone wrong with the wish. 

Groaning, she sank bonelessly down to the ground. The first few times she had traveled to the past, it had occurred to her that the things she did there might change the timeline, but somewhere along the way, she had forgotten about it. Her attention had been focused on completing the jewel and stopping Naraku that she did not even pause to think of what she was doing to her own future.

Her gaze settled upon the well. If she jumped back in now, would she be able to change anything? What should she try to fix? She did not even know what had gone wrong. Biting her lips, she realized that the only way to find out was to stay. And when she gathered enough information, she would try to go back into the past to fix whatever that had caused the future to change into something so unrecognizable.

Yes, she would do that.

Mind made up, she stood up with renewed determination. Shaking out the clothes Sesshoumaru had given her, she found that it was a beige and green miko outfit. She immediately grimaced. Things must have progressed nowhere if they were still wearing this kind of clothes after all these years.

Kagome stilled as a stray image flashed across her mind. She was in a market which seemed familiar, but she knew that she had not been there before. The vendor was pointing at a beige hakamashita and green hakama, expounding its quality to someone beside her. As a slender arm reached out towards the fabric, Kagome glanced to the side to find her mother smiling at her before turning to speak to the vendor.

Her breath left her with a quick swoosh as the image disappeared just as abruptly as it had appeared.

Was that a memory from her other self? Was that where her mother had bought her the clothes? At least her mother was alright, she thought with relief. Then she gasped as something occurred to her. Maybe her father was still alive in this world. Nervous anticipation washed over her, pushing her into action.

Question after question sped through her mind as she changed into the outfit. Inuyasha here? What about Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and the rest? How on earth had she managed to return to this alternate reality? Was it really an alternate reality in the first place? She frowned thoughtfully. After all, Sesshoumaru seemed to know about her and the well. And if Sesshoumaru was here, Inuyasha and Shippou should be here as well, right? The thought instantly cheered her up and she rushed to finish dressing.

Once done, she pushed the door open to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her in the same spot. "Where's Inuyasha?" she asked excitedly.

Something in his eyes dimmed. "He allowed himself to be slain in battle."

Breath caught in her chest, Kagome paled. She must have heard him wrongly. Inuyasha slain? "W-What? Are you saying that Inuyasha is… is dead?" she whispered shakily.

"He was slain more than a year ago."

"No…" she whispered, bringing her hand to her lips as her eyes began to sting with hot tears. Even though she knew that she probably would not see any of her friends again when she made that wish, it did not prepare her to hear something like this.

"Bawling will achieve nothing, Miko," Sesshoumaru pointed out flatly.

Irritated at his dismissal of her feelings, she glared at him through the film of moisture in her eyes. "Well, not everyone can be as cold and heartless as you, Sesshoumaru!"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "Do not presume to judge me," he hissed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, regretting her words. Sesshoumaru had been distraught when Rin died in the final battle. He was not cold and heartless. "I didn't mean it."

They sank into a strained silence. Blinking back her tears, she stared down at the wilted grass at her feet. What should she do now?

A familiar voice filtered through the air. "Kagome?"

She gasped, her head snapping up to find her mother walking towards the wellhouse. Her eyes widened at the sight of her mother dressed in a traditional kimono. Kami-sama, what happened after the wish that had caused such a big change, Kagome wondered helplessly. She gave herself a mental smack. Stupid, stupid! This was all her fault.

"You're still here," her mother exclaimed, looking confused. "You left your bow and arrows."

Kagome spun around to find that Sesshoumaru was gone. A feeling of panic immediately enveloped her. Where was he? He could not leave her here like this. She needed more answers from him.

As she continued to fidget nervously, her mother stepped up to her and laid a hand on her shoulders. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

Kagome raised her eyes to her mother's gentle ones. Her panic subsided a little when she realized that this was her mother. And she knew that her mother was still the same caring person. So there was really no reason for her to be nervous.

She took a deep breath. "Yes, Mama."

"Your bow and arrow?" her mother prompted.

Feeling rather lost, Kagome simply nodded and then followed her mother towards the house. The moment she stepped in, the unfamiliar surrounding hit her with the impact of a sledgehammer. The interior of the house was nothing like what she remembered. Still, she said nothing as she walked into the kitchen behind her mother. The first things she noticed were the appliances. Yes, they were there, but they looked so… old. Like they belonged in the eighteenth century or something. Then there were the floor and walls. Instead of carpet and painted plaster, the floor was lined with tatami mats and the walls were painted timber.

Her mother peered at her thoughtfully as she lifted the kettle from the stove. "You look different today. Did you do something to yourself?"

Kagome gulped. Different? How different? A feeling of trepidation coursed through her. She had not had the chance to look into a mirror yet, but she could be _that_ different seeing that Sesshoumaru actually recognized her.

"Aren't you a little late?" her mother asked as she filled a cup with tea. Then gesturing to the side table, she continued, "There. Your bow and arrows. Your Sakura-sensei will be angry if you forget to bring them."

Kagome blinked as another image flashed across her mind.

She was seated across a low table opposite some old, stern-looking miko. Lines and lines of herbs and roots were presented before her. The old miko gestured at the line-up, asking her to identify the herbs to treat a certain disease. She reached out a hand, only to point out the wrong answer. The old miko's wrinkled face wrinkled further in disapproval and a harsh rebuke followed.

Kagome immediately winced. Okay, maybe she and her other self were not so different from each other after all. She had never been that good at school and she guessed that her other self had the same problem with her… training.

"Kagome? Are you alright?"

As her mother's face came back into focus, Kagome nodded slowly. This was beyond weird but she was convinced now that she retained some of the memories of her other self.

And right now, she had to get a grip on herself because it looked like her mother was beginning to get suspicious, especially since she had no way of knowing how she should respond to her mother's questions. She needed to get out of here until she found out more about what exactly had changed.

Forcing a smile to her lips, Kagome stood up and walked towards her bow and arrows. "I'm just going to take these and go to… Sakura-sensei."

Her mother clapped her hands together and beamed. "Good. I'll see you tonight then. Do your best, alright? I'm sure you'll pass the test."

_TEST?!_

Eyes bugging, Kagome choked out, "T-test?" Please, anything but a test.

Her mother sighed. "Did you forget about the test, Kagome?"

Kagome gulped, and then shook her head. "Uh, no. I remember. I…um…I will do my best."

With that, she took the bow and quickly left the house.

Now, where should she go? There was this test thing, but did she really want to sit a test she knew nothing about? Subconsciously, she walked down a path, allowing her feet to travel wherever they wanted to go. It was not long before she arrived at a large, wooden shrine.

A heavy sigh left her when she read the signboard above the gate which proclaimed the place as a training centre.

* * *

Crouching on a branch, hidden by the leaves, Sesshoumaru keep his eyes on the miko as she entered the large shrine. He knew from her other self's mutterings two days ago that she had a test today. Much as he wished to complete his tasks, he knew that he had to wait until she finished before approaching her. 

She remained out of his sight for a long while, and he surmised that she must be taking some tests inside the building. When he finally sensed movement, he further cloaked his presence and leapt to the roof. Glancing down, he noted that a houshi was escorting the hesitant miko towards the two other trainees standing before the old miko. Although he was a fair distance away from them, his sensitive hearing allowed him to capture their conversation.

"Kagome completed the written test?" the old miko asked the houshi.

The houshi nodded. "She can progress to this one now."

Raising a pepper-white brow, the old miko turned to the young one. "I'm glad you finally made it."

The miko winced visibly. "Yes."

"You're late, though. Be glad we waited for you."

"I…um… forgot my bow and arrow and had to go back to get it."

As the other two miko trainees giggled, the old miko shook her head in disapproval. "Tsk…tsk… How could you forget such a thing in the first place? Never mind. Line up now for your last test. You have four sets of targets…"

When the old miko finished relaying the rules of the test, the three examinees took their positions and began to aim at their first target. The miko appeared to be rather hesitant, being the last to raise her bow and arrow. At their teacher's call, the three of them released their arrows simultaneously.

Sesshoumaru felt the corner of his lips tilt as he watched the glowing arrow hit its mark. This miko was certainly more competent than the one he had observed over the past year or so. It had been frustrating to watch her other self fumble one after another lesson when he had seen her abilities in the past.

His senses suddenly became alert.

Tensing, he turned around to scan his surroundings. It did not take long for him to detect the source of his reaction. Focusing into the distance, he noted the presence of those he least wished to see. He glanced back briefly towards the miko, deciding that she would be unharmed in the relative safety of the training centre.

In a blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru streaked across the sky towards his targets. They were attempting to hide in the shadows of the trees at the edge of the forest, but he could see them clearly.

His feet touched the ground, alerting them to his presence. As they swung around, Sesshoumaru took in the three males dressed in dark blue ninja shozoku attire, realizing instantly that one member of the team was missing. Where was she, Sesshoumaru wondered before turning his attention to the leader, the one called Jousuke.

"Sesshoumaru," the dark-haired hanyou hissed. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"Leave." His tone was quiet, but there was no mistaking the warning in it.

Chuckling, Jousuke swiftly drew his short sword, the shinobigatana from his waist. "You're going to try to stop us again, aren't you? Tell me, why are you protecting her? What do you gain out of it?"

Sesshoumaru decided that the question was not worth answering. Instead, he unsheathed Bakusaiga waited for the attack. Even though he knew that killing them would resolve this troublesome matter once and for all, he was forced to refrain from such an act due to the promise he had made a long time ago.

As always, the attack came swiftly.

Although he had anticipated it, Sesshoumaru barely managed to dodge the sharp blades. The speed of the attack was understandable. In addition to his natural hanyou abilities, Jousuke was also a highly trained ninja. Grimacing, Sesshoumaru held his own Bakusaiga before him and released a pulse of youki towards his three opponents. Before the youki blast hit them, the ninjas raised their hands, quickly forming a warding shield.

The youki attack bounced back, and Sesshoumaru sliced through it to reabsorb the power before charging forward. Jousuke streaked to the side and disappeared from view while the other two headed straight for him. A distraction, Sesshoumaru realized just second before he felt the air shift above him. The fools wished to trick him? He would end this battle swiftly.

Without looking up, Sesshoumaru swung his blade up in a wide arc, sending a heavy wave of energy crashing outwards around him in all directions.

A choked cry followed by a heavy thud reached him. Slowly, he turned around until his eyes landed on the two breathless ninjas before him. Jousuke was cradling his unconscious teammate in his arm while the last one, who was least harmed by the attack, rushed towards them.

Jousuke's expression twisted in bitter anger as he pulled his teammate up. "Why don't you stay out of this, Sesshoumaru? You're meddling with something which is not your business."

Once again, Sesshoumaru chose not to answer. After all, he had no intention of explaining himself to them. The only thing that mattered was that he had once again managed to keep true to his word, as irksome as it was. It would have been much simpler to end their lives.

Jousuke sneered as he backed away with his teammates. ""Well, I'm sure we'll meet again."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as the three figures disappeared in a blur.

* * *

There, Kagome thought with satisfaction. She managed to hit the last of the targets. 

Only then did she notice the odd silence of her surroundings. It was so quiet that she swore she could have heard a pin drop. Feeling rather apprehensive, she slowly turned around to find three pairs of eyes fixed on her. The way they were staring was beginning to make her nervous. Did she do something wrong? Sakura-sensei _did_ say to hit all those the targets with her arrows, right?

"I can't believe you hit them all. Must have been luck or something," one of the other trainee miko muttered.

"You've been practicing, Kagome?" her teacher asked curiously.

Kagome laughed weakly, deducing that her other self must have been worse than her. She supposed that fighting demons in the Sengoku Jidai for three years qualified as practice. "Yes, Sakura-sensei," she replied. "I've been practicing."

Her Sakura-sensei gave her a doubtful look, and then nodded. "Very well then. All three of you made it to the next stage of your training. I will see you tomorrow. We will be covering advanced healing techniques."

Kagome swallowed. Whatever that was, she was definitely not looking forward to it. The word 'advanced' was enough to scare her. It was probably a good idea for her to go back to the past as soon as she could. She did not know how long she could last in this alternate universe.

With that in mind, she hurried to the exit, only sparing the other two trainees and her teacher a brief wave. She had to find Sesshoumaru. He was the only one who could explain this madness to her.

Walking down the street, she sighed heavily as she took in the view around her. Although there was some progress, things was very different from what she had known. For a start, she could have sworn that she had sensed some youkai about, something which she did not think was present in her version of the future. At least, not to her knowledge.

Kicking a stray pebble out of the way, Kagome continued to make her way past the shops lining the street leading to the shrine. A couple of shopkeepers called out and waved at her, and she automatically waved back. They obviously knew her, seeing that they called her by name.

Suddenly, something zipped past her right ear.

Instantly alert, Kagome jumped to the side and spun around just in time to see two more objects whizzing past where she had been standing just a second ago. Then her eyes landed on the three shuriken pieces embedded in the ground.

"What-"

Before she could make sense of what was happening, more shurikens appeared out of nowhere and came flying towards her. Heart thudding in fear, she began to run. Abrupt bangs sounded as the alarmed shopkeepers slammed their doors and windows shut, obviously trying to keep safe.

What was going on? Why was she being attacked? A sharp pain exploded on her left arm, causing her to stumble before she quickly steadied herself. She hissed audibly when another shuriken sliced past, barely missing her leg. Whatever this was, it was beginning to really annoy her. Things were already messed up enough and now she was being attacked by some invisible thing? What should she do?

Running is not helping, not to mention she did not even know what she was running away from. She would just have to confront whatever it was head on. Mind made up, Kagome's hand tightened on her bow and she spun around.

A woman with flowing dark hair was standing some distance away, wearing what looked like a ninja outfit. The dark blue fabric crossed her chest, ending at her tightly-clad thighs. A short sword was held in her right hand. Kagome gritted her teeth as her temper flared. She was just minding her own business and the last thing she expected was to be attacked by some strange woman who looked like some ninja.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked angrily.

The woman in front of her narrowed a pair of very light brown, almost golden eyes. "We have only met face to face once before, but I definitely expected you to remember the incident."

Kagome blinked. Then all of a sudden, a series of images flashed across her mind.

She was somewhere in a forest, gathering herbs to complete her assignment for Sakura-sensei. It was then that this woman had landed in front of her, and proceeded to attack her. Dropping her basket, she lifted her hands to defend herself, but the attack came too fast for her to even see. The next thing she knew, there was a flash of red and she was knocked out.

As the vision faded, the woman's face came into focus. Gritting her teeth, Kagome accused, "You attacked me before."

The woman's lips twisted into a humorless smile. "Well done. You remember," she murmured as she lifted her blade. A ray of sunlight glinted off the sharp metal as she streaked forward. "Now, it's time to get rid of you once and for all."

Kagome's eyes widened at the swift downward slash of the blade. With a shriek, she dove out of the way. Knowing that she had no time to hesitate, she sprung to her feet and in one move, drew her arrow taut against the bow. She kept the glowing tip of her arrow pointed at the woman as she took a wary step backwards.

"Now tell me who are you, or I swear I'll shoot," Kagome gritted out tightly.

The woman's eyes suddenly widened just as Kagome felt a slight shift in the air behind her. Before she could turn around, Sesshoumaru's calm voice reached her.

"She is Inuyasha's daughter."

* * *

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you liked it. Please review if you can, thanks! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter.

For those of you who are following 'A Mere Digression', please note that the updates will be erratic as best, simply because there is no real plot to follow, not to mention my time is all taken up by this story and another one I'm doing for another fandom (grins).

All that said… here's the last part of the background to the story. I have to say that I'm happy it's finally done because it was terribly tedious to write. Anyway, I hope that it'll make some sort of sense.

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 3**

"She is Inuyasha's daughter."

Sesshoumaru's words slowly sank in. In her shock, Kagome could do nothing but gape at the woman before her. Inuyasha's daughter? Why would Inuyasha's daughter want to kill her? What had she done to cause this?

The woman's expression became pinched. Then she snapped at Sesshoumaru, "Where is Jousuke?"

Kagome blinked in confusion. Jousuke?

"Your brother is no longer present," Sesshoumaru intoned icily.

Golden-brown eyes flashing in anger, the woman swung her sword threateningly towards Sesshoumaru and raged, "What did you do to him?"

"Wait!" Kagome interjected. She needed to get more information before the entire situation escalated into a fight. Maybe this was all just a misunderstanding.

When the woman turned to glare at her, Kagome took a deep breath and pressed on, "Why do you want to kill me? I'm Inuyasha's friend."

Sneering, the woman hissed, "Friend? Is that what they call it then?"

Before Kagome could say another word, Sesshoumaru stepped forward. "Leave," he bit out in an uncompromising tone. "Or you will suffer the consequences."

For a long while, the woman simply glared at both of them. Then she snarled, "This is not over. I'll catch you one day without your guard-dog." With a loud hiss, Inuyasha's daughter spun around and streaked away.

Only then did Kagome released the breath she did not realize she was holding. Raising her hand to rub her forehead, she groaned helplessly. Things were getting more and more confusing by the second. Deciding that it was time Sesshoumaru spilled what he knew, she directed an unyielding look at the taiyoukai.

"So, you want to tell me what's happening? I'm a little confused here with all that talk and Jousuke and the training earlier." She gestured around her helplessly. "Everything is different. I mean, Mama looks the same and the shrine is still there, but _nothing_ else is the same."

Sesshoumaru gave her a steady look. "Inuyasha explained that this was not how he remembered it."

"Yeah. He would know, since he used to visit me. Now, why does his daughter want to kill me?" She inhaled deeply. "What happened, Sesshoumaru? When I made the wish, I didn't mean for it to be a selfish one, but now everything is different and the jewel is back inside me."

His eyes widened slightly before his expression settled back into it usual blandness. "The jewel's appearance is curious indeed. Perhaps it would be prudent to explain what happened since you made the wish."

Somehow something told her that she would not like what she was about to hear. After all, if things had changed so much, it meant that something had gone very, very wrong.

Staring expressionlessly at her, Sesshoumaru began, "Once you made the wish, you dissolved out of sight. What was obvious at that very moment was that wish revived the undead miko, the taijiya's brother and Rin."

Kagome smiled, thankful that at least that had happened. Then she frowned as something occurred to her. What if this was the result of the revival of those who should remain dead? Maybe those three were not meant to survive?

"I changed the timeline when I revived them, didn't I?" she whispered shakily.

"Hn. The Shikon-no-Tama is a powerful object. Due to the wording of your wish, the consequences extended further than anticipated," he said.

The words instantly came back to her.

'_I wish for my friends… and Sesshoumaru to regain those they lost at Naraku's hands._'

Kagome instantly gasped when she realized what it could have meant. Her 'friends' included just about everyone she had met. And in those three years, she met a lot of people… and demons. What had she done?

"Who else was revived?" she asked apprehensively.

"The most evident was the taijiya's family. The taijiya, her brother and the houshi returned to her village to find that her father and most of those who had been slain once again walked the earth as living beings. The village was rebuilt and their demon-slaying operation expanded under her father's demand for revenge. Since then, many demons were killed."

Gasping, Kagome protested incredulously, "But Sango doesn't hate all demons. Didn't she explain what happened?"

"I could only surmise that her father simply did not understand what his daughter had experienced." Sesshoumaru took on a contemplative look. "I believe that they were the ones who had built the shrine."

Kagome bit her lips. "Does that mean that Sango and Miroku's descendants are still around here somewhere?"

"That is possible."

Expecting Sango and Miroku to be alive after so many centuries would be stupid, but Shippou and Inuyasha… Lips trembling slightly at the thought of her hanyou friend's death, she asked, "Can you tell me what happened to Inuyasha? Since I left, I mean?""

"Inuyasha mated with the miko."

Kagome glanced down at her hands. What else did she expect?

Then she frowned. That meant that the woman who tried to kill her and the other one called Jousuke were Kikyo's children. Half-miko and half-hanyou. She still could not think of any reason why Inuyasha's children would want to kill her. Unless Kikyo…

"However, the mating was a mistake."

Eyes shooting up to Sesshoumaru's, Kagome asked apprehensively, "What do you mean, a mistake?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered as he hesitated uncharacteristically. Then his expression was placid once again as he replied, "Inuyasha… belonged to another."

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. What was Sesshoumaru implying? He could not be saying what she thought he was saying, right? Or maybe in all those years, Inuyasha had fallen in love with someone else?

"Inuyasha knew that his mate was aware of his affliction, but he could do nothing to appease her anxiety. His continual distraction eventually drove her to… madness." He paused to contemplate something, and then continued, "Conscious of it and yet not able to prevent it, Inuyasha simply watched as his mate poisoned the minds of their offsprings."

"Poisoned?" she echoed shakily, raising her hand to press against her forehead. Poisoned as in Kikyo _asked_ her children to kill her?

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "Perhaps she was fearful that Inuyasha would seek you in the future, as his lifespan exceeded hers significantly. Their hanyou offsprings, Jousuke and Kaori seek to relieve you of your life. Once Inuyasha learnt of their intent, he attempted to dissuade them. His offsprings ignored him and left the village as soon as their mother died."

Lips parted in disbelief, Kagome could only stare at Sesshoumaru. So it was because of her? Inuyasha loved her more than Kikyo after everything that had happened? She knew that Sesshoumaru had no reason to lie, but could all this be possible? Did Kikyo hate her so much that she wished her dead? It was as if Kikyo did not want anyone to have Inuyasha if she couldn't. But why Kikyo's lifespan was shorter. As far as she knew, Kikyo's lifespan would have matched Inuyasha once they mated.

"I thought Kikyo would live as long as Inuyasha since they were mated."

"A common human misconception. A human mate's lifespan could only be prolonged if the youkai mate truly bonds himself, body and soul, to the human."

"But he loved her," she ventured uncertainly.

"Inuyasha did not know his own feelings. He only bound his body to hers when they mated. It was… incomplete."

"I didn't know," she whispered.

"Inuyasha informed me that as centuries passed, he grew increasingly aware that the future was not what he had expected. And he was waiting for your return so that things might be mended."

"How did he…" she trailed off, unable to put it into words.

"He was caught in a battle between the slayers and demons and was gravely wounded." Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened. "It was by sheer willpower that he had managed to reach me."

Her eyes stung with tears. How could he die just like that when Sesshoumaru had Tenseiga? Unless Sesshoumaru had decided not to save him. Before she could think of what she was doing, Kagome grabbed Sesshoumaru's arm.

"Why didn't you save him with Tenseiga!" she yelled.

"Unhand me, Miko," he ground out icily.

As her tears began to fall, her hold loosened and she let her arms drop to her side. Dejection washed over her. So many things had gone wrong just because of one wish. The one wish which she had made in an attempt to make her friends happy again had backfired so badly that she knew no words to express her regret.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued flatly, "Inuyasha had been revived by Tenseiga once before, therefore it was not possible to revive him in the same manner."

She blinked. Sesshoumaru was not as uncaring as he let on.

"He left a wish before he departed. He wished for me to pass this information to you if you returned through the well."

Inuyasha wanted her to fix things. And she knew that it was something she could not refuse. It was her fault after all.

Lifting her damp eyes to meet Sesshoumaru's, she whispered shakily, "I'm sorry." For everything.

Sesshoumaru gave her an unreadable look. "There is nothing you can do about it now. Inuyasha had been watching over your ancestors and this shrine ever since he realized what his mate intended. That is why there is a ward around the shrine, keeping out anyone with malevolent intents. Your other companions assisted him when he was unavailable to perform the task."

"Who is still around?"

"Kirara, the nekomata is currently residing with Rin and Shippou."

Gasping, Kagome spun around to face him fully. "Really? Where are they?"

"They live just past the border between the east and west."

"They live together?"

"Shippou and Rin are mates."

Brightening, a smile crossed Kagome's face. "I can't believe Shippou is all grown up. Can I see him?"

"Hn."

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched the miko silently as she contemplated what she had just been told. Standing silently beside him on his cloud, she was staring unseeingly at some point in the distance, appearing to be mulling over the information. She had taken it rather well, considering the circumstances. It could not be easy, being told that one was responsible for changing the entire future. Still, he could not help but wonder if that was really the case. It seemed rather farfetched for the action of one miko to affect the future to such an extent. 

A sudden tug on his sleeve jolted him from his thoughts. Irked at the miko's action, he glanced down at her with narrowed eyes to find her attention fixed to the forest beneath them.

"There's a battle going on down there!" she exclaimed, her expression twisted in surprise.

"Hn."

She snapped up at him. "Is that all you can say? Should we not go down and help?"

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Sesshoumaru simply stared at her incredulously. Why should he waste his time with such nonsense?

"Sesshoumaru! Someone might get hurt down there!" she urged, repeating the irksome tugging motion.

Realizing that he would have no peace until he responded, Sesshoumaru bit out, "Who do you wish to aid? The slayers or the demons?"

He felt her stiffen beside him. It was obvious that she had not considered her words fully.

"Oh." Her voice was weak.

Ignoring the battle and the miko beside him, Sesshoumaru continued to fly high in the sky, determined to reach Shippou's and Rin's residence as fast as he could. Explaining everything to the miko was troublesome considering her never-ending questions, so he preferred Shippou to be the one to fill in the gaps.

After a while, she broke the silence once again. "What about you, Sesshoumaru? What have you been doing the last five centuries?"

He held back his surprise. This was not something he had expected her to ask. "It is not necessary for you to hold this information," he grunted.

"I just want to know."

A pause followed as he pondered the implications of imparting this information to the miko. And then, with an inward shrug, he said, "Since Rin is mated to Shippou, I visit them on occasion."

"That's all?"

"Hn." That would suffice. He was not about to regale her with five hundred years of his life.

"But surely you did other…" She paused, waving a hand in the air. "…other stuff in all those centuries. Do you work or something?"

He bit back a sigh of impatience. This promise he had made to his brother was growing to be more bothersome than he had anticipated. "No I don't."

His eyes swept across the familiar landscape beneath them before he landed in the familiar flower garden.

"We are here."

* * *

Kagome's lips parted in admiration as she eyed the garden. 

Burst of colors of all hues decorated the ground and green creepers blanketed the bamboo fence around the space. Lined with more flower bushes, a path of pale-colored pebbles form a path to the house. It was a wooden one-storey with intricate carvings decorating the entrance and the construction was mainly traditional.

It was the most colorful thing she had seen ever since she got back to this alternate future. Wordlessly, she followed Sesshoumaru down the twisting pebble path.

"Umm… Sesshoumaru?" she ventured.

Before she could ask where they were, the door slid open, revealing a dark-haired woman who looked as if she was in her twenties. After a long moment of staring at each other wordlessly, the woman's face broke out in a large smile.

"Kagome?" she exclaimed, taking a quick step forward. "Sesshoumaru-sama! You've found her!"

Getting hold of herself, Kagome nodded. "You've grown!" she said as she returned Rin's smile.

Grinning, Rin said, "Of course. It has been five hundred years." Then Rin's eyes widened and she reached out to grab her hand, pulling her into the house. "Come on in."

With a short laugh, Kagome stepped into the house and toed off her shoes before being led to the living room. A quick glance around the room told her that it was simply furnished, but looked very comfortable, done in the traditional Japanese style. The sound of rapid footsteps brought her attention to a shoji screen just as it slid open to reveal a tall red-haired, red-tailed male. The hair, the tail, the shining excited green eyes – it could only be Shippou.

"Kagome!" the male exclaimed as he rushed forward.

Kagome gasped when strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the floor.

Shippou.

This was Shippou all grown up. A joyous feeling instantly replaced her shock at seeing him and she began to laugh as he spun her around the room. When the kitsune finally set her back on her feet, Kagome was breathless. For a moment, she could only stare up at the grinning, mischievous face in front of her. Overwhelmed by emotion, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"S-Shippou! I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.

Pulling back slightly to look into her face, he said somberly, "We've waited so long for you. Took us a while of spying before we figured out that the other you back at the shrine was not the same you."

Head spinning at the convoluted words, Kagome finally figured out what Shippou was saying. Then she nodded. "Apparently she disappeared just before I emerged from the well. I think we merged or something, because I got some of her memories."

Shippou frowned. "That's so strange. But I guess it kind of makes sense, otherwise there would be two of you here."

Kagome's reached down to her side. "That's not all that's strange. By the way, when I landed, I realized that the jewel is back inside me."

"WHAT?" Shippou exclaimed incredulously. "B-But, how is that possible? You made a wish, and it was supposed to disappear."

Even Sesshoumaru looked concerned.

"I guess the wish wasn't so pure after all," she muttered dejectedly. Remembering the first time she noticed the return of the jewel, Kagome glanced down to her side and added, "There is something strange about it now, though."

"Strange?" Rin prompted curiously.

Kagome nodded. "It's glowing like usual, but I get a different feeling from it."

"Hmm… Maybe it's because you already made a wish on it," Shippou suggested thoughtfully.

"Maybe."

It was then that she felt something soft rubbing against her ankle. Glancing down, her eyes settled on a familiar white form. "Kirara!"

The nekomata mewed, blinking up as if to welcome her.

Chuckling, Shippou nudged at Kirara. "Three of us took turns to watch out for you at the shrine. So it's kind of funny that you should appear just when it was Sesshoumaru's turn to take watch," he remarked wryly.

Realizing suddenly that she had all but forgotten about Sesshoumaru, Kagome peeled herself out of the kitsune's arm to glance over her shoulders. The taiyoukai had made himself comfortable on one of the cushions lined up against the wall. He was staring out of the window, seemingly unaffected by their outbursts of emotions.

She took a step towards him. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru, for bringing me here."

Turning away from the window, he graced her with an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement. It was then that she realized that it was quite strange to see him in such a homely setting, considering that in the past, they almost always met in the battlefield as enemies at first and later as allies. Her perception of him revolved around him being a warrior, a fighter, and she instantly realized that her view of him was somewhat narrow.

Shippou's voice reached her. "I guess you want to know what happened over the last five hundred years."

She shifted her attention to the kitsune, noting that he had now settled on a cushion with Rin beside him. If Sesshoumaru was in contact with Inuyasha, it made sense that Shippou did as well.

"Sesshoumaru explained a little, but I'm a little confused here. Everything is different from my future." She snuck a quick glance at the stoic taiyoukai before turning back to Shippou and Rin. "If Sesshoumaru wasn't there when I got out of the well, I would have been even more lost. He told me about Inuyasha and Kikyo, and also about the demons and the slayer. What happened, Shippou?"

"You might want to sit down."

It was just as well. Her legs were about to give out from all the excitement. Kirara jumped onto her lap and settled there the moment she lowered herself to the cushion. Sango's and Miroku's image instantly came to mind as she patted the purring nekomata. Kagome forced down her rising sadness, reminding herself once again that it was stupid to expect them to be alive after all this time.

Clearing his throat, Shippou began slowly. He explained how he and Inuyasha had jumped into the well right after she had made the fateful wish, only to find that even Inuyasha could not get through. All of them had been distraught, but eventually realized that there was nothing they could do. Resigned to the fact that they would not see her again, at least for another five hundred years, they had begun to rebuild their life.

Repeating what Sesshoumaru had told her earlier, Shippou told her how the wish had revived Sango's family, and even Kouga's clan and who knew what else. Unfortunately, in his desire of revenge, Sango's father had decided to wage war against the demons. A war that continued till this very day, with some very disturbing consequences which he refused to go into in detail.

Kagome frowned at him, debating if she should press the issue. But before she could form the words, he moved on to another topic.

A smile made its way to her face when she heard how Shippou had courted Rin, but understandably not without some difficulties. Apparently Sesshoumaru had not been too happy about the entire thing, until he realized that the mating meant that Rin would end up sharing a demon's lifespan.

Rin glanced at her mate mischievously. "Do you remember what Sesshoumaru said about the mating?"

Shippou blanched slightly before raising a hand to rub the back of his neck, a sheepish grin appearing on his features. "Yeah. That if the mating failed to bestow you with my lifespan, he would make sure that my own life would be greatly shortened."

Kagome gave Sesshoumaru a horrified look.

Rin beamed. "The fact that I'm sitting here proves how strong Shippou feels for me. Right, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hn."

While Shippou made a face, Rin continued by gleefully related just how clumsy Shippou had been during the courting, and how wary he had been of Sesshoumaru. Laughing, Kagome snuck another glance at the silent taiyoukai only to find his lips twitching.

Then Rin pulled out a photo album, and to Kagome's felt her heart warm when she gazed down at Shippou's and Rin's three children. The elder son and daughter unmistakably took after Shippou, while the youngest son resembled Rin. All three were adults now, and lived their own lives in the Western Land.

When Rin put away the album, Shippou's narrative carried on to touch upon Sango and Miroku. The two of them had gotten married and stayed at the shrine they had built. Their children remained within the shrine grounds for a while after Sango and Miroku died, and then moved away from the area. That was the last anyone had heard from them.

And finally, with more subdued tones, Shippou moved on to his hanyou friend.

Kagome's heart felt like lead when she heard how Inuyasha had missed her terribly for a long time, even after he was mated to Kikyo. The hanyou used to stare wistfully for hours at the well. And after a while, unsurprisingly, the entire situation got to Kikyo.

Shippou's expression was dark when he continued, "I don't know what's going on in Inuyasha's head, but I don't think he meant to make Kikyo feel that way. That baka didn't even realize what Kikyo was thinking until years later, and that was only because he overheard her talking to their kids. By that time, the kids were old enough to understand these things, and from what I could tell, Kikyo's anger and despair got to them."

Kagome bit her lips, a sour feeling rising from the pit of her stomach. "Is that why their kids hate me," she asked in a small voice.

Shippou's eyes flickered. "It's not your fault, Kagome. I think Kikyo wants more from Inuyasha that he could give."

"But he loved her!" she insisted shakily.

Rin spoke then. "Maybe Inuyasha thinks he loves her. But the proof is there for all to see with what happened to their mating." She glanced towards Sesshoumaru before adding, "Isn't that right, Sesshoumaru-sama? Kikyo didn't get to share his lifespan because he only gave part of himself?"

"Hn."

Kagome slumped as she digested the same information for the second time. This whole thing was just too depressing. And it all happened because of her, irrespective of what Shippou had said to the contrary.

As if sensing her thoughts, Shippou said firmly, "Look, Kagome. Inuyasha was never the type to know his own heart that well. For all you know, he really thought that he loved her fully and was giving her his entire self when they mated. I didn't even suspect anything until I saw with my own eyes that Kikyo was growing older with each passing year. That was when I asked him about it. And that was when I found out that he didn't know what went wrong with the mating." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest thoughtfully before he continued, "His kids inherited his life-span, though."

"I guessed as much," Kagome said quietly. "I kind of met his daughter today. She wasn't too… friendly."

Shippou's eyes hardened. "Jousuke and Kairi blame Inuyasha for their mother's death. Apparently, Kikyo was angry at the thing between you and Inuyasha right till the end. But I suppose the kids have enough loyalty to not harm their own father, so they decided to take it out on you instead, since you're the other party."

"They probably have every right to," Kagome murmured mournfully. After all, she had indirectly ruined Inuyasha's and Kikyo's relationship. But then again, if she had not made the wish, they would never have had the second chance to be together.

* * *

He had seen her expression dip the moment Inuyasha was mention and from then onwards, the light in her eyes had gradually dimmed. Tiring of the miko's obvious misery, Sesshoumaru decided that he had remained silent long enough. After all their efforts in protecting her and watching over her, the miko's lack of sense irked him to no end. They had not spent all this time so that she could wallow in self-blame. 

"Miko."

At his clipped tone, the miko's eyes snapped up to find him.

Hardening his expression, he continued, "If you wish to take responsibility for the undead miko's foolishness, perhaps you should simply present yourself to Inuyasha's offsprings."

Shippou sputtered as the miko gasped in surprise.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Don't say things like that!" Rin exclaimed in protest.

He ignored his ward in favor of eyeing the miko with undisguised disdain. The miko was being foolish and weak. The first trait was understandable, but the second irked him to no end. After all, this was the miko who had played a part in defeating Naraku.

After a while, Shippou's quiet tones broke the silence, "Inuyasha wants you to go back to fix things. I don't know what exactly he wants you to do, though."

"I guess Inuyasha wants her to prevent the war and things like that. Maybe also to prevent him from mating Kikyo." Rin paused for a moment, and then continued in a small voice. "But if she goes back to change things, we might not be here together."

A moment of silence passed after Rin's proclamation. It was true. No one knew what would change if the miko returned to the past.

"I can't do this…"

Sesshoumaru frowned at her tone. Much as he disliked the uncertainty nature of the timeline modification, he had a greater aversion to those who feared the unknown. Especially considering the bother he had gone through in the attempt to keep his word to Inuyasha. And it did not escape him that Inuyasha's last wish would not be fulfilled should the miko refuse to return to the past to do her part, thus nullifying all he had done so far.

"Perhaps Inuyasha had expected too much from you." Sesshoumaru bit out.

Her eyes shot up to his, and her growing anger quickly became evident. Jumping to her feet, she stalked towards him, ending up just an arm's length away from him. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the presence of her slender finger pointing at his face. Impudent!

"You! Don't talk about this like you know what's going on! You have no idea what it feels like, coming home to find that everything is completely different only to find out that it is my fault!" she gritted out through her teeth.

Her display of temper did not faze him. "If it is indeed your fault, perhaps you should seek to rectify it instead of sulking," Sesshoumaru pointed out stonily, ignoring Rin's and Shippou's groans.

The miko threw her arms up in the air. "Even if I go back, how do I know what I should change? What if I make it worse?" She glared at him. "Then what do we do? Say I messed things up and end up getting more humans and demons killed? Then what, huh?"

His own annoyance growing, Sesshoumaru pinned an uncompromising pair of eyes on her. "The decision is yours to make, Miko."

She glared at him for a while longer before she slumped visibly. "Why do you care anyway?" she muttered after a while.

Sesshoumaru stiffened. But before he could say anything, Shippou spoke.

"Just before Inuyasha…died, he made Sesshoumaru promise to make sure that you know what happened. And also to protect you." Shippou gave her a pointed look. "Sesshoumaru just wants to keep his words to Inuyasha."

She blinked up at him in surprise. It was obvious that she had not expected this. Somewhat disconcerted by her perusal, Sesshoumaru redirected his gaze out of the window. Shippou should not have disclosed such a thing to the miko. It was wholly unnecessary.

"You know, Kagome. Whatever you do, I don't think it's going to get worse. I mean, we know what is causing the problem, right? Like the slayers and the demons? So maybe you can fix that." Shippou paused briefly before he added, "But please, whatever you do, just make sure that I end up with Rin, alright?"

The miko remained motionless.

* * *

Things were bad. And although she knew that she played a huge role in the changes, she was beginning to get tired of blaming herself. There was just so many times she could repeat the phrase 'It's all my fault' in her head. Something needed to be done about the entire situation once way or another. 

"I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" she murmured mostly to herself.

Rin spoke quietly, "I suppose not."

Traveling would not be so easy this time considering that her mother knew nothing about the well. Especially considering that if she was really going back to the past, she would need to stay there for days at a time, at least. Raising her head, she sighed. "What am I going to tell my mother?"

Shippou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess you can just say that you're going on one of your training journeys."

"Huh?" What was Shippou talking about?

"From what we could tell, once in a while, the other 'you' would travel for weeks. Those trips looked like they was a part of the miko spiritual training." Shippou hesitated momentarily before he continued his explanation, "She used to hire a guard. Not that we would allow anything to happen to her, but she doesn't know that we were around since we hid ourselves from her."

"A guard?" Kagome asked, trying to ignore the way Shippou referred to her other self as another person. But she guessed she could understand why he did so.

"A demon bonded into slavery," Sesshoumaru clarified blandly.

She gasped, spinning around to face the taiyoukai. "What do you mean, slavery?"

Shippou looked reluctant to continue, and he sighed. "It's all because of the war. When the slayers manage to capture their enemies alive, those demons are tamed by restraints and made into slaves."

Horrified, Kagome could only stare at Shippou. This was just too terrible to think of. And her other self 'used' these slaves? An image flashed across her mind then.

Sakura-sensei was gesturing at the young tiger demon beside her. Kagome saw herself protesting at the idea of forcing the demon slave to guard her with his life, but Sakura-sensei would not hear of it, seeing that she was merely a trainee miko. Reluctantly, she had allowed the silent demon to come with her. Although the tiger demon had not been unpleasant, she could not help but feel bad about the fact that he was there unwillingly. And that he would no doubt kill her if not for the spelled metal band circling his forehead keeping him in check.

A rushed breath escaped her as her mind returned to the present.

"I remember."

"Remember what?" Rin asked curiously.

"I remember how I ended up with a demon guard," Kagome elaborated, acutely ashamed at the fact especially considering that most of her friends in the past were demons. "How can the slayers do this to the demons? It's all so wrong."

Sesshoumaru's tone was flat when he remarked, "Some humans are also turned into slaves by demons."

Shippou nodded while Rin sighed sadly.

The bitter taste of revulsion almost choked her. If she had any more doubts about going back to the past, this would have cemented her decision. Slavery in any form was despicable and if she could help it, she would make sure that it never happened.

Mind made up, she got to her feet. Looking around to find all of them staring at her, she took a deep breath. "I'll go back and I'll try to fix this somehow."

* * *

It was already late in the night when they finally returned to the shrine. To Kagome's consternation, her mother was waiting for her when she walked into the house. 

"Oh, Kagome, you're finally home. I was worried."

"Sorry, Mama." The excuse that she and Sesshoumaru had discussed earlier presented itself. She hated lying to her mother, but it could not be helped considering the circumstances. "I was arranging to go on a training trip tomorrow. I got caught up and forgot the time."

"Oh, so soon? You just went two months ago."

"I… I just want to improve faster," Kagome offered lamely. Trying to distract her from more questions about the trip, Kagome quickly said, "I passed my test today."

Her mother's eyes brightened as she clapped her hands together. "Congratulations, my dear! Your Jii-chan would be so happy to hear this, and so will Souta."

Realizing that she had not seen the rest of her family since she came back, Kagome immediately said, "Where are Jii-chan and Souta? I want to tell them myself."

"Oh Kagome, have you forgotten?" her mother asked with an amused smile. "They went to another village for that priest meeting. Souta is almost old enough to further his training."

Kagome blinked in astonishment. Her little brother Souta was going to be a priest like their eccentric grandfather? Somehow the entire idea was just weird.

"Tell them when you return from your journey." Her mother gave her a conspiratorial look. "I'll keep it a secret."

Smiling, Kagome nodded. After bidding her mother goodnight, she went up to her bedroom, noticing vaguely that it was not decorated in pink. No longer shocked by the changes, she simply washed up and then climbed into bed.

Tomorrow.

She would return to the past tomorrow and do her best to fix things.

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched as the miko paused next to the well, her expression displaying her hesitation. To his consternation, he found himself sympathizing with her predication. 

His brows instantly furrowed at the notion. Such a feeling was unacceptable, for he should feel no such thing towards the miko.

She fingered her bow. "At least I got my own bow. Better than getting a second hand one from someone, right." A frown appeared between her brows. "Having said that, this bow could be considered second hand as well, depending on how you view the other 'me'."

Sesshoumaru wondered if she would cease her prattling anytime soon.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Yes, I'll just have to find Inuyasha and Sango," she muttered, as if to remind herself. "It shouldn't be too hard, right? After all, Inuyasha should be with Kikyo and he could find-"

"Miko," he interjected impatiently.

Her eyes snapped up, looking startled. Then her cheeks reddened slightly as she cleared her throat. "Sorry. I guess I'm just nervous."

The heavy silence which followed her proclamation hinted to Sesshoumaru that he should say something. His frown instantly deepened. Why should he say anything? He had ensured that she was informed of the situation, thus his duty to his decease brother was complete.

Was it?

The second part of his promise to Inuyasha prodded at him, irritating him once again. Yes, he had promised to protect the miko. However, he could only do so if the miko was present. There was nothing he could do to protect her once she descended into the well.

"Sesshoumaru?"

She was staring at him expectantly.

He still did not know what she wanted from him. "Is something the matter?"

Her lower lips trembled slightly. "I… I'm…" she hesitated, and then cast her eyes downwards.

Did she wish for some form of reassurance from him? A surge of annoyance coursed through him. What did she expect him to say?

Then the words came, surprising him. "You will be fine."

Her eyes shot up, clearly astonished. Then slowly, a smile broke out over her features. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I needed to hear that."

Still stunned by the words of reassurance which had escaped his lips earlier, Sesshoumaru simply inclined his head stiffly.

"Well, I'm as ready as ever," she declared.

She took a deep breath and then swung her legs over the rim of the well. Glancing back at him over her shoulders, she gave him a small wave before she disappeared from sight.

He immediately tensed when a flare of energy exploded from the well before it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. For a long while, he stared wordlessly at it. Then he stepped forward to look down into the dark empty space. She was gone, just like that.

"Hn."

Idly, he wondered if the other version of her would reappear. He hoped not, for this task of guarding the miko was growing tedious. Still, he would honor his words to his brother if the other version appeared. Or perhaps he should instruct Shippou or Kirara to relieve him for a few days.

Just as he touched the darkened wood of the wellhouse door, a familiar energy flared out behind him. Tensing, he spun around swiftly. His eyes narrowed when he spotted slender fingers latching onto the rim of the well, quickly followed by a dark head and finally, the rest of the miko's person. What was she doing back so fast?

"Sesshoumaru! Thank Kami you're still here!" she exclaimed breathlessly as she landed on her feet beside the well.

He waited for her to explain herself.

She clamped her hands to the side of her head, groaning loudly before she raised a pair of stricken eyes to him. "I don't know what to do. Something is very, very wrong back there."

Sesshoumaru felt a tingle of apprehension. "Calm yourself and explain, Miko."

She licked her lips and swallowed, a frown marring her brow as she pinned her eyes to her feet. "I climbed out of the well as usual, and then went looking for them. That's when I saw it."

Clenching her hands into fists, she took a deep breath.

"Inuyasha is still sealed to the Goshinboku."

* * *

A/N: That's it for the background. The first arc of this story will begin in the next chapter. As always, please review if you can. Thanks! 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: A big thank you to you all for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. For those of you who celebrates Christmas, I wish you a Merry Christmas! And oh, if any of you out there are fans of Itachi/Sakura pairing in the Naruto fandom, I've started a new fic which you might want to try out.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter of this story. Enjoy!

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 4**

"Inuyasha is still sealed to the Goshinboku."

Numb with incomprehension, Kagome dropped her backpack to one side and fell to her knees. Why? Why was Inuyasha still sealed to the Goshinboku? Did that mean that she had gone back much further in time? Back to the time when they had first met? Or even before that?

"Explain, Miko."

She raised her eyes up to the taiyoukai. For once, he was not wearing that blank look. This time, he actually looked puzzled, and maybe even a little concerned. Glancing down at her hands, she tried to think of how she should explain this to Sesshoumaru. She guessed it was best to start right from the beginning.

"The first time I went to the past, it was an accident. I was in this wellhouse, looking for my cat, Buyo, when this scary looking centipede demon pulled me into the well. She wanted the Shikon-no-tama."

"Did you see this youkai this time?" Sesshoumaru asked.

She shook her head. "No. But everything seemed to look like what it was when I first fell in years ago. Inuyasha is sealed to the tree, and the vines are all crawling over him. It was as if the last few years didn't happen. Sesshoumaru…" She gave him a pleading look. "What's going on?"

For a moment, the taiyoukai simply stared at her. Then he glanced towards the well with a contemplative look. "I do not know."

"So what do I do now?"

Another pause followed before he spoke again. "You may chose to remain here. Or return to the past. It is your choice."

She wanted to hit something. Couldn't he be just a little more helpful? "But the past… the well brought me back too far into the past! Even if I go back I wouldn't know what to do!" she exclaimed vehemently.

At her tone, a flash of disapproval crossed his face. However, his tone was level when he said, "It is possible that you have to reenact the events of those years. Without making the wish at the end of your journey."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

He cast her a look of disdain. "No."

Groaning, she slapped her palm on her forehead. "I can't live through those years in the same way. I mean, how am I supposed to make sure that everything remains the same when I know what's going to happen?"

"Perhaps it is sufficient to ensure simply ensure that certain events do occur."

She threw her arms up in the air. "And how am I supposed to know WHICH event must occur?" she snapped, irritated at the hopelessness of the entire situation.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "Do not raise your voice at me."

Realizing that nothing good could come out of angering Sesshoumaru, Kagome ground her teeth together to suppress her temper. Her voice was tight when she said, "It's all easy for you to say. You're standing here, doing absolutely nothing, expecting me to follow your orders."

"I expect nothing, Miko. This is merely Inuyasha's wish."

She bit her lips as her irritation dissipated to be replaced by sadness. Yes, Inuyasha wanted this whole thing fixed. But how was she supposed to do it?

"Miko."

"What?" she muttered dejectedly.

"What is different from the time you traveled in the past?"

What was different? She frowned. "Well, I saw Inuyasha sealed to the tree. Then these villagers came up to me. I stayed there for a while with Kaede because I wasn't sure how to get back. Soon afterwards, I released Inuyasha so that he could fight the centipede demon," she paused, trying hard to remember the sequence of events when something suddenly occurred to her.

"Wait! There's no centipede demon this time."

"Hn. There is a protective ward around the shrine. It is unlikely that the youkai could approach, even from the well."

"Oh, I see." That was another thing which was different from her own time. Picking up from before, she continued, "After that there was this crow youkai that took off with the Shikon-no-tama…"

He gave her an impatient look when she paused.

Grimacing, she continued, "I shot at it. And that's when the Shikon-no-tama shattered. After that, Inuyasha and I started traveling all over the place to look for the shards."

"You did not return to your own time?"

Her frown deepened. "I think I only returned not long after we found the first shard," she replied hesitantly. It was hard to remember when exactly things had happened after all this time.

"And you brought the shard to your own time?" he asked. "While the rest was back in the past?"

"Yes." Suddenly comprehending why Sesshoumaru was asking all these questions, Kagome jumped to her feet. "You got some ideas of what happened, don't you?" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Hn."

She grabbed his sleeve. "What is it then?" she urged.

He directed a pointed look at his sleeve, and Kagome instantly released it. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. She must remember that he did not like to be touched.

A long moment passed while the taiyoukai stared into nothing. Kagome fought the urge to fidget as her impatience grew. When she was about to open her mouth, Sesshoumaru finally turned to her.

"This is merely speculation, however, it is possible that the Shikon-no-tama affects the link between the past and the future."

She blinked at him, not quite getting what he was saying. "Uh… Can you explain that a bit more?"

"When the jewel was broken, some of it remained in the past while you traveled back to your own time, is that correct?"

She nodded.

A contemplative look crossed his features before he explained, "When you completed the jewel and returned here, you broke the connection with that particular time in the past, and your future changed to reflect your actions in the past. If you had left a shard back in the past before you returned, then perhaps your future would remain unchanged and you would return to the past where Naraku had just been destroyed. The past that you are familiar with."

Her mind swirled with the information. Not quite certain that she got it right, she ventured hesitantly, "You mean if I cross the well from the past into the future with a complete jewel, I effectively reset the timeline so that it takes into account what I've done in the past?"

"Hn."

"And once the jewel is complete and I'm in the present, crossing the well would bring me back to the time when I first met Inuyasha no matter what. Unless I leave a part of the jewel behind, then the well would link the timeline, making it move together with this present future?" She slumped. "I'm so confused."

He nodded. "Correct. Once you enter the well to the past, your actions will only be reflected in the future if you return with a complete jewel. If you leave a part of the jewel behind, then the changes would not take effect. If you do not leave a part of the jewel behind in the past, the time link would be lost."

"So this means that I cannot come to see you all once I jump into the well, or else I'll just end up seeing Inuyasha sealed to the Goshinboku again if I tried to go back after that."

"Hn."

Raising a hand to rub her forehead, Kagome muttered, "I think I understand… a little."

So, it looked like she did not have much of a choice. Remaining in this future was out of the question because it was so blatantly _wrong_, to her anyway. Which meant that her only choice was to return to the past and fix things the best she could.

But it would take years!

Groaning at the thought, Kagome raised her eyes to Sesshoumaru, noting that his impassive expression was back in place. He had helped a lot by explaining things, even though it was all just guesswork. But it was better than having no clue at all of what was going on, right? Besides, what he said made sense.

All she had to do now was to go back to the past.

With a sigh, she picked up her backpack. "I don't think I'll be coming back here if it means shattering the jewel again. It's too dangerous."

"Hn."

"So, I guess I won't be seeing you again."

He gave her an odd look. "We will meet in the past, Miko."

Her lips twisted wryly. "Yeah, I know. You'll probably try to kill me like you did the last time, right?"

"That is to be expected."

She grinned weakly. Fighting Sesshoumaru back then had been quite a scary experience. But then again, she was not as unskilled this time round, so maybe she would be alright.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the well and swung her legs over the rim.

"Miko."

She paused at his voice. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulders at him.

"Do not let Rin die."

She smiled. "I won't."

* * *

The night was silent bar the sound of gentle splashes against the side of the boat occupied by two individuals. Lit only by the moonlight and the fireflies dotting the air, the river was a vision of languid peace. 

Peace, however, was not quite what a certain taiyoukai was experiencing. Sesshoumaru's mind was occupied with one thing only as he allowed the small boat to carry him further east.

Tetsusaiga.

They had searched all over, but to no avail. The clues left by his deceased father was cryptic indeed. He would have to think harder upon the words to solve the puzzle. And it would certainly help if Jaken did not insist on prattling. Still, it was his retainer's job to inform him of such things, therefore he would simply have to bear with it.

"Rumor has it that a powerful water elemental was sealed recently."

"Hn."

Such occurrences were simply part of the continual power struggle between the elementals, he supposed. It did not concern him, for as powerful as they were, they were a dying breed and would soon be extinguished one way or another. Still, he found it curious that such an elemental youkai would allow himself to be sealed so easily.

Unaware of his musings, Jaken continued to elaborate, "The young youkai had angered another clan by refusing to mate with a chosen female. The mating had been arranged to combine two powerful bloodlines. This foolish refusal to obey sealed his own fate. The father of the rejected bride was rightfully offended and decided to exact punishment. A battle had ensued, and the young youkai had ended up being sealed."

"Hn."

Jaken blinked up at him. "Ah, pardon me for my useless words. I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama has more pressing matters to attend to."

"Tetsusaiga."

"Ah, yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have wondered that perhaps Inuyasha knows where it is."

Sesshoumaru felt his jaw tick. Inuyasha, his bastard half-brother his father had created with a _human_. Even though he knew that Inu-no-Taishou and his mother had mated to combine their strength, it was still disgraceful for his father to betray his mother in such a manner. To further the insult, the hanyou was a weakling.

"Hmm… Inuyasha is still sealed to that tree, isn't he?" Jaken mused thoughtfully. "If we can find someone to free him, maybe he would be able to tell us where Tetsusaiga is."

Irked at his retainer's continual reference to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru shoved him out of the boat and with the Staff of two Heads, held the diminutive youkai down in the river. Frantic sputters broke the calmness of their journey, but Sesshoumaru ignored it.

Still, he could not help but wonder if Jaken might have a point.

* * *

Kagome stood silently in front of the Goshinboku. 

This was the third time she had jumped back to past in one day. The second time round, she had decided to test Sesshoumaru's theory by rearranging some rocks in a pattern next to the well. Then she jumped back to the future to find a frowning Sesshoumaru standing there. A quick explanation and wave later, she was back through the well for the third time.

The rock formation she had left earlier was nowhere to be seen, so that proved that Sesshoumaru was right at least in this instance. So long as the jewel was not left in the past, the timeline would not be linked.

Sighing, she looked up at the red figure up against the tree. Inuyasha looked so peaceful, sealed to the tree like that. She could not help but wonder if this all could be avoided if she did not release him in the first place. The moment the thought crossed her mind, Kagome shook her head vehemently. No. Stop thinking like that. She could not possible leave Inuyasha sealed to the tree.

Remembering the reason why she was still standing around, Kagome glanced around irritably. Where was that centipede youkai? There was no sign of the demon and for all she knew, the demon would not even turn up. And if she remembered correctly, those villagers would turn up soon as well, accusing her of being a demon.

With a huff, she turned back to Inuyasha, as if to seek some answers. So what should she do now? Wait?

What else could she do?

So she waited.

She sat at the base of the Goshinboku and waited.

She waited until the sun went down and still, nothing happened.

Her patience finally ran out and she shot to her feet. Turning around, she glared at the innocently sleeping Inuyasha.

Was there even any point in waiting?

Was if things were never meant to turn out the same way anyway?

Her lips compressed in a thin line. Well, she could not wait forever. So she might as well get on with releasing Inuyasha. Mind made up, she stepped closer to the Goshinboku and raised herself up onto one of the protruding roots. Her heart thumped in anticipation as she studied Inuyasha's face. How would he react to seeing her?

She reached up to touch his ears and almost fell backwards when a pair of golden eyes snapped open. For a moment, she could only stare at him.

Then those eyes narrowed in fury.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha hissed.

Shoulders slumping, Kagome groaned out loud. Not this again. She should have known that this would happen. Still, now that she knew the full story, she should not really be mad at him, right?

Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "Inuyasha. I'm not Kikyo." Without waiting for a response, she thrust her hand under his nose. "Smell," she ordered flatly.

An incredulous expression crossed his features, and then he tried to jerk away from her. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, Kikyo. Whatever it is, it won't work!" he snarled.

This was not how she had envisaged this encounter at all, but then again, everything else seemed messed up. So why not this as well, she thought irritably.

Refusing to back down, Kagome snapped, "You baka! Just take a sniff and you'll know I'm not Kikyo!" With that, she jerked her hand closer to his nose, only to slam hard into it.

"Argh! Kuso! That hurts!" he yelled indignantly, his nose twitching.

Kagome's eyes flashed. She was tired, hungry and was absolutely in no mood for more delays. Reaching out, she grabbed Inuyasha's ear and yanked his head towards her, ignoring his protests.

"Listen to me. I'm not Kikyo and would never BE Kikyo. I'm Kagome. KA-GO-ME. Get it?"

When she released him, the look he gave her was filled with bewilderment, and a hint of alarm. Then, after a moment of silence his expression evened and he snorted. "Keh! I know that. Kikyo would never speak like that."

She glared at him. "Good. And now that we got that clear, I'm going to release you."

He blinked at her. "W-What?"

"I said, I'm going to release you."

A bark of derisive laughter came from him. "You can't. Only Kikyo could release this seal."

A vein in her forehead popped. She would prove him wrong.

But before she could reach out to pull the arrow, her senses pricked. Something was coming towards her. She spun around, grasping her bow and arrow steady in her hands. The long grass in the distance was shifting. There was something moving through it.

Then her eyes widened in realization.

The centipede demon.

She could defeat it, but she knew that she had to try to maintain a similar sequence as the past.

Or did she?

There was no time to think about it.

"Inuyasha?" she called out without turning to look at him.

"It's coming."

Yes, she knew it was coming. "If I let you go, are you strong enough to defeat it?" she asked.

A snort sounded behind her. "What do you take me for?"

She spun around. "I take that as a yes, then.'

With that, she reached up and closed her fist around the arrow. As she had expected, it immediately dissolved in her hand. A purplish burst of light immediately surrounded them as Inuyasha began to pulse.

It pulsed once, twice. Then the vines broke apart and he was standing in front of her.

As if on cue, the centipede demon burst out of the tall grass, heading straight for her.

"Shikon-no-tama! Give me the Shikon-no-tama!" the demon wailed.

Inuyasha swung towards her, his eyes wide in astonishment. "You got the Shikon-no-tama?"

The centipede demon was almost upon them. Urgently, Kagome pushed him forward. "There is no time for that, baka! Go!"

Inuyasha simply stared at her, as if he was seeing her for the first time. He seemed to be trying to wrap his mind around something. At the rate he was going, the centipede demon would eat them alive before they knew it.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled impatiently. "Don't just stand here like this!"

When he finally snapped out of it, the demon was within reach. Kagome swung her bow out in reflex, but it was too late. The centipede demon was too close for her to use her weapon. A shriek of frustration escaped her lips when one of the demon's many arms swiped her bow out of her hands. She tried to reach for her weapon, only to be thwarted when the demon snapped at her.

Inuyasha launched into the air with his claws raised. "Sankon Tessou!" he snarled as he executed his attack.

The centipede demon screamed and trashed as Inuyasha's claws sank into its side. Its tail whipped around erratically as it tried to throw Inuyasha off. Kagome's eyes widened in alarm when she realized that they were all fighting too closely. Before she could do anything, a heavy blow connected with her back.

Her mouth opened in a soundless scream when she found herself flying through the air.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Kagome felt her entire body throb as she slowly regained consciousness. What happened? Where was she? She was fighting not long ago, right? And Inuyasha… 

"My… my… what do we have here? A little human girl."

Kagome peeled open her eyes at the familiar voice. When it dawned on her just _who_ that voice belonged to, she immediately scrambled to her feet and spun around to find that she was in some sort of valley. There was a large hairball suspended midair not far away from her. Her surroundings confirmed what she suspected even before her eyes landed on the demoness before her. The first thought that entered her mind was that they were not supposed to meet so soon.

"Yura…" she whispered apprehensively.

Standing on top of the gigantic hairball, the dark-haired demoness smirked. "Why, I'm flattered you know me. But then again, who wouldn't know the Yura of the Hair?"

Kagome clenched her hands into fists. This was not good. Yura was a lot more powerful that the centipede demon, and she did not have any weapons with her. So what should she do?

Yura adopted a thoughtful look. "I could do with more hair, though."

Eyes widening as the meaning behind those words sank in, Kagome took a step backwards. She had to get away. Fighting would be pointless.

Smirking, Yura jumped down to the ground to land in front of her. "Let's see if it's really as strong as it looks, yes?"

With an alarmed squeak, Kagome spun around and ran. Threads of hair instantly appeared in front of her in an attempt to block her escape. But Yura did not know that she could see them, so Kagome continued to dodge and weave between the strands, running in the dark towards an unknown direction.

Then she spotted something. There was some sort of forest nearby and that looked like a good place to hide. She just had to get away, to get closer to Inuyasha. Her steps faltered slightly as her cheek stung and a line of blood splattered from it. Hissing through her teeth when she realized that Yura's hair had cut her, Kagome redoubled her efforts to escape, pushing the branches out of the way.

In her blind dash, she did not see the protruding tree root until her foot caught on it, sending her flying through the air, straight at a rock outcrop. Alarmed, her hands shot out to soften her landing. She registered vaguely that her palms were glowing before she hit the piece of rock. A flare of energy burst through the air as the piece of rock shattered under her glowing palms.

Breath knocked out of her, Kagome crumpled to the ground. The shattered pieces of rock were glowing red around her, she observed in astonishment. Then the glow went out, and Kagome glanced at her hands, wondering if she had somehow caused this by using her powers.

Heart beating erratically, she scanned her surroundings. There was no sign that Yura had followed her. But Kagome knew that sooner or later, the demoness would catch up. She needed to find somewhere to hide, at least until she could figure out how to get out of this mess.

Her eyes landed on a cave nearby, half hidden by boulders. For a moment, she thought that it was glowing red like the shattered pieces of rocks had done. But after a blink, it was no longer there.

It must have been her imagination, she figured.

Getting to her feet, Kagome stumbled to the cave. Then she paused as a thought occurred to her. The glow might have been some kind of seal. Swallowing hard, she wondered if she might have released something. But what? She sensed nothing ominous from around her.

Sensing that Yura was closing in, Kagome quickly pushed past a boulder and peeked into the cave. She could not tell if there was anything inside, but if there was, she did not get the feeling that it was dangerous. Maybe the place was used as some sort of storage and the seal was to keep thieves away.

Realizing that she was safe from Yura, at least for the moment, Kagome let herself sag against the cool smooth wall of the cave. Idly, her eyes wandered to her surroundings as her breath evened out. Too dark to see much, so she could not tell if she was alone. For some strange reason, the place looked misty and there was something glowing slightly at the corner of the cave.

Curious, she got to her feet and went towards the glow. When she reached, she was surprised to find that it was some sort of conch shell. Kneeling down, she debated whether she should pick it up or not before she finally decided that it was best not to. Who knew what was really in the shell? She had not gone through so many years in the Feudal Era without learning that some things were better left untouched. Maybe this was why the cave was sealed.

She backtracked to her previous spot on the floor and sat down. A groan burst from her lips when her bruises protested violently. This time round, things were definitely more painful. Maybe it was because she was all alone, without her hanyou friend. She definitely had not sustained as many wounds the first time round.

Suddenly, something flash across her mind. Knowing what it was, Kagome kept herself calm as she studied the 'memory' of her other self.

_She was in the training centre with the two other trainees, seated in a semi-circle around their teacher. Sakura-sensei had her hands spread in front of her, and there was a white glow surrounding her palms. _

"_Focus on drawing forth your healing powers to your palms. But not too much otherwise it will be unstable."_

_Wordlessly, she tried to call forth the so-called healing power. Then she looked down at her hands uncertainly before she glanced sideways at the other trainees. They were concentrating hard to get their healing powers to surface, and Kagome could see that one of them was already succeeding. Unfortunately, it was not so easy for her. Frowning, she tried again to push the power to her palms._

"_Kagome."_

_She glanced up at her name. "Huh?"_

"_You need to summon up the will to mend, not to destroy!" Sakura-sensei scolded as the two other trainees sniggered. _

_Kagome looked down at her palm to see a pearlescent, purplish glow. "Oops," she exclaimed sheepishly. Right, it should be pure white for healing._

The images dissipated away, allowing Kagome to return to the present.

A thoughtful look crossed her face. Since she was effectively trained as a miko in that alternate future of hers, it should mean that she had the basic miko knowledge in her mind somewhere. Even though it looked like she had been an utter failure in executing those skills, it did not mean that she could not do it now. After all, she had had three years worth of being in a Feudal Era, using her skills for real. It was like that test, right? Her teacher and the other two students had not expected her to pass, and she suspected that the only reason she had passed was because of her practical experiences.

Anyway, there was no harm in trying out what she now knew in theory, she decided with an inward shrug.

Brows scrunched in concentration, Kagome brought her hands up and called forth what she hoped was her healing power. To her dismay, what came out was her usual pearlescent miko energy. It looked like she was not so different from her other self after all, she thought dryly. But at least now she knew how to call forth this thing instead of having it appear only when she was in an urgent panic. This was an offensive power she could use whenever she did not have any weapons.

With a huff, she steeled her resolve and tried again. This time, she focused her mind on the thought of wounds and stitching them together. When her hands glowed pearlescent purple again, Kagome felt like screaming in frustration.

Then it happened.

Slowly, the purplish hue dissipated, leaving only pure white. It felt different in her hands, warmer, almost. Practically bouncing with excitement, Kagome carefully brought her glowing palm to the wound on her cheek. She immediately felt a strange tingle upon her skin.

Letting the power go, she reached up to touch her cheek to find that it was healed.

A wide grin spread her face. Deciding to try it again, Kagome raised her hands and concentrated again. This time, it came easier since she knew what it felt like. One by one, she healed the wounds she had accumulated over the last two fights.

When she was sure that everything was healed, Kagome stood up. Now that she knew that she could at least call forth her offensive power, she did not feel so nervous about walking out of this place. She glanced at the mouth of the cave. If she had the chance, she should try to get at that red skull with the comb. Yura was supposed to be killed. And anyway, that demoness was a threat because eventually, she would want Inuyasha's hair, not to mention the Shikon jewel. Right?

Taking a deep breath, Kagome walked to the mouth of the cave and slid pass the boulder blocking it. She stilled for a moment, listening out for any unexpected sounds.

There was nothing.

Steeling her resolve, she marched out and backtracked through the forest. Soon, she found herself in that same valley again. The hairball was still suspended high over her, but Yura was nowhere to be seen. If she remembered correctly, that red skull was hidden inside that hairball. In order to get to it, she had to bring that hairball down somehow.

But she had no bows or arrows.

Think, Kagome, think. This was no time to give up.

Her eyes flitted over her surroundings, noting that there was nothing but rocks. Then an idea came to her, courtesy of her 'other' self's training. The knowledge to do so was in her mind, but she did not know if she could manage it. She had done it with arrows, so she should be able to infuse her miko powers into other objects as well if she tried hard enough.

Kneeling down, she grabbed a rock and concentrated. The rock glowed for a mere second before it sputtered out. Irritated, she focused harder, willing her power into her rock. She was growing impatient with her lack of success. A quick survey of her surroundings told her that she was still alone, but she did not know how long that would last.

"Come on…Come on…" she hissed as she tried again.

The rock sputtered a few times more before the glow of miko power turned steadier and steadier. A relieved sigh escaped her as she picked up few more rocks and did the same to them. Then she stood up to face Yura's hairball.

Aiming, Kagome threw the first glowing rock at it. The hairball crackled and sparked where it hit, but remained intact. Biting her lips in concentration, she threw the next rock, and the next until the hairball began to weaken and unravel.

Eyes widening, Kagome jumped back as the a dull rumble sounded.

A fraction of a second later, the hairball split and skulls began to tumble out of it.

"Yatta!"

Kagome almost jumped with joy. Knowing that she had to hurry, she ran forward and began to search for the red skull amongst the rest of the normal skulls. It was not long before she saw it half-buried some distance away.

Scrambling through the skulls, and trying very hard not to think that these used to belong to living humans, Kagome made a beeline towards her target.

Then a piercing cry rent the air.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Kagome froze just a few steps away from the red skull. Oh no, Yura was back, she realized with dismay. A quick glance over her shoulders told her that the demoness was very, very angry.

"Stop," a commanding voice sounded.

Surprised at the voice, Kagome spun towards her left to see someone she had not met before standing there. Dressed in black, he had curly blue hair which framed his face and brilliant blue eyes. He stood there watching Yura, as if expecting his words to be obeyed.

Yura gave the stranger an incredulous look. "You! I thought you were sealed?!"

Sealed? What was going on here? Questions ran through her mind, but Kagome quickly brushed them away. She had more important things to focus on right now. Slowly, she began to inch backwards until she reached the skull, all the while keeping her eyes on the other two.

The blue-haired stranger simply raised a brow. "You are obviously mistaken."

Yura's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare interfere in this!"

Kagome's hand went around the red skull just as Yura swung around furiously. "Take your hands off it!" she snarled as she shot towards her.

Alarm instantly coursed through her. Gripping the skull tight against her, Kagome backed away frantically. Then her eyes widened at the sight before her.

A thick ribbon of what looked like water shot out of the stranger's palm, heading straight for Yura. Yura did not even have time to turn around before the ribbon twisted, holding her in its water-like grip. Hands immobilized, Yura gasped in outrage.

"What? Let me go!"

The blue-haired youkai ignored Yura's struggles. His blue eyes shifted to her instead. "Continue," he directed calmly.

Blinking in astonishment, but knowing that she had to make use of the opportunity, Kagome glanced down at the skull in her hands. Lowering it, she picked up another skull and then bashed it against the hard surface until the skull cracked open. As expected, the comb was laying in there.

"NO!" Yura shrieked.

Biting her lips, Kagome brought the skull down onto the comb, but the skull broke under the impact. This would not work. The comb was obviously protected by some demonic power. She did it with an arrow the last time, but hers had been left behind with Inuyasha. Letting out a hiss of frustration, she glanced around to find something else to use.

"Arrow…arrow. I need an arrow or something," she muttered absently. Maybe anything sharp would do. She could always try to infuse it with miko powers like she had done to the rocks. A quick search around yielded nothing. Frustrated that there was nothing sharp around, she slammed her hand on the ground and groaned, "I need an arrow."

"Here."

Her eyes shot up at the voice. Still holding a shrieking Yura in his water ribbon thing, the blue-haired youkai threw something at her. Kagome did not even see what it was until she caught it in her hands. When she glanced down, she registered that it was a blue shimmering bow with its arrows. The thing looked as if it was made up of ice or water, or something like that but it felt solid enough in her grip.

"Um… Thank you," she said uncertainly.

The blue-haired youkai inclined his head, but said nothing.

Turning back to the skull, Kagome extracted an arrow and immediately drove it down to the white comb.

"NO! STOP IT!!" Yura screamed.

Steeling herself, Kagome brought down the arrow onto the white comb again.

Almost immediately, a bright flare lit the entire valley. Kagome glanced up to find Yura turning into dust and slowly dissipating into the air.

When everything was quiet once again, she turned her attention to the blue-haired stranger. What was he doing there and why was he helping her? How would his interference change the future? And who was he anyway? She did not remember meeting him the last time round. Before she could open her mouth to ask, he took a step away from her.

Inclining his head, he said in an even voice. "The debt is repaid."

"Huh?"

A moment later, he dispersed into thin air and disappeared.

Confused, she could only stare into the empty space where the blue-haired man… no, demon, had stood in just a moment ago. What debt was he talking about? She had not done anything except destroy the skull. Was this all because she had killed Yura?

Strange.

Walking away from the pile of skulls, Kagome decided not to dwell on it too much. But once again, she could not help but wonder if this would change anything in the future. A heavy breath left her as her footsteps faltered. It was not as if she could do anything about it now.

She should just find Inuyasha and try to fix what was supposed to be fixed. There were a lot of people and demons that they had yet to meet and she had to try to make sure that those meetings _happened_. Like maybe somehow prepare for the inevitable confrontation with Sesshoumaru. But that would mean that they needed to be at a certain place at a certain time, right? Sesshoumaru was supposed to come after Inuyasha with that demoness pretending to be Inuyasha's mother.

It turned out that she should not have bothered after all, for right at that moment, she spotted a white figure flying through the sky, heading in the same direction as she was. Her eyes widened in recognition and the thump of her heart grew louder in her ears as she began to run.

This was not good at all. Things were not turning out the same way as it had done last time.

Sesshoumaru should not be here so soon.

* * *

A/N: I think you all know what sort of direction the story will be taking from this chapter onwards, yes? (Grins) I hope you liked it so far and if you can, please drop me a review. Thanks! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: A big thank you to you all for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. Here's the next one. Please enjoy!

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 5**

Darkness permeated the forest, making it hard for her to navigate between the dense growth. Pushing aside the branches, Kagome ran as fast as she could, hoping that she was going in the right direction. It could turn out very bad if Sesshoumaru got hold of Inuyasha before she did. Who knew what might happen?

Then she burst out into a familiar clearing. The Goshinboku was there and the remains of the centipede demon were scattered all over, telling her that Inuyasha had managed to defeat it. But where was the hanyou now?

"Inuyasha!" she called out frantically. "INUYASHA!!"

Panicking, she dashed to the other end of the clearing. She could not see too well in the darkness, but surely Inuyasha would have responded to her if he heard her. He got the hearing level of a canine after all. Unless he was hurt. Was he hurt? He killed the centipede demon, right? So he should be alive, at least.

"Inuyasha! You'd better come out! I didn't release you just so that you can disappear on me!" she shrieked in frustration.

A rustle sounded behind her and Kagome spun around.

To her consternation, instead of Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru was standing there next to the Goshinboku. The toad youkai, Jaken was by his side, looking at her with large gleaming eyes. She gulped as her eyes met Sesshoumaru's icy ones across the clearing. This Sesshoumaru did not know her, she reminded herself. She had to be more careful of what she said to him.

"Ah… Um…" At a loss to what to say, Kagome finally faltered into silence.

Jaken took a step towards her. "Why are you looking for Inuyasha, human wench?" he asked rudely.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Kagome glared at the diminutive youkai. "None of your business."

She did not know that it was possible, but Jaken's eyes rounded further. "You will tell us, or suffer the wrath of the Lord of the Western Lands!" he threatened.

Kagome closed her eyes, wanting badly to just lie down and cry. This was not supposed to happen this way. She had no idea where Inuyasha was and to make it worse, Sesshoumaru and Jaken was confronting her about the hanyou. Where was the carriage carrying that demoness who pretended to be Inuyasha's mother? What happened to everything that was SUPPOSED to happen?

Opening her eyes slowly, Kagome replied wearily, "I don't know where he is. We got separated during the battle with the centipede demon."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered. Then he spoke for the first time. "He is unsealed?"

"Yes." Her voice was dry. Wasn't it obvious?

"How?"

She threw her hands up in the air. "He's unsealed and he's out there somewhere. What does it matter?" she snapped.

In a blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru was right in front of her, his clawed hand snapping out. Kagome's eyes rounded in horror when his hand clamped around her neck, lifting her off the ground. Her heart began to thud erratically in her growing panic. How was she going to get out of this predicament?

"Such insolence from a mere human wench," Sesshoumaru intoned coldly. "You will die for it."

She flinched when his claws dug into her skin painfully, and her hands automatically snapped up to grasp his wrists. The shock of the entire situation suddenly reminded her that _this_ was what Sesshoumaru was like before Rin got to him. He would not hesitate to kill her. Over the years, she seemed to have forgotten this little fact and was now paying the price. Would he kill her before she had the chance to fix her mistakes?

No! She would not think like that. Somehow, she had to get out of this alive, and it did not matter how. Fixing the future was more important and she would not let anyone, even Sesshoumaru, stand in her way.

"L-Let me go!" she choked out.

He simply stared down at her disdainfully, as one would do to an insignificant bug.

Her desperation grew when it looked like he had every intention of squeezing the life out of her. Black spots were already swimming in her vision, warning her that she had better stop it before her life left her.

There was only one thing that she knew would get through his thick skull.

"I-I k-know w-where… T-Tetsusaiga is," she forced out.

Surprise flickered in his eyes and his grip loosened by a fraction. Not enough to struggle out of, but enough for her to draw in a lungful of air. Then his eyes narrowed with suspicion and his entire form tensed.

"Impossible. What does a ningen know about the great fang?" Sesshoumaru ground out derisively.

Irritated that he did not believe her, she hissed, "Kill me and you would never find out."

His eyes flickered once again. Finally, he said flatly, "Your release in exchange for the location of the fang."

"That and if I show you where it is, you won't kill Inuyasha," she stipulated nervously.

As he continued to look at her thoughtfully, Kagome wondered if she would die before he made up his mind. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he finally responded.

"Very well."

Kagome sighed, relieved at her victory as his fingers loosened, allowing her feet to touch the ground. She would keep her promise and lead him to the tomb. He and Inuyasha were meant to face off in that place and anyway, no harm would be done since Sesshoumaru could not even hold Tetsusaiga. It was a good thing he did not know that little fact.

Uncomfortably aware of his piercing stare, she took a few cautious steps away from him before she spoke. "Let's find Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru's lips thinned as he flexed his claws. "What trickery is this?"

Kagome gulped at the hostile intent in his expression. Raising her hands in a gesture of surrender, she quickly exclaimed, "This isn't a trick. We need to find Inuyasha if you want to see where Tetsusaiga is."

After subjecting her to a long nerve-wracking stare, Sesshoumaru finally nodded curtly.

* * *

Kagome supposed she should not be too surprise that within the next hour, they had found Inuyasha's trail. Sesshoumaru had a great sense of smell after all. Still, walking some distance behind the taiyoukai, she could not help but shiver at the aura of ruthlessness emanating from him. Rin had certainly changed Sesshoumaru for the better, and she could not imagine just how much more cruel could the taiyoukai be otherwise.

"Sesshoumaru-sama. Is the hanyou close?" Jaken asked.

"Hn."

Kagome glanced sideways at the taiyoukai. Yeah, he was never the talkative type, was he? But she could have sworn that his older self was much more vocal, seeing that he had managed to find enough words to tell her what had happened to her friends.

When they finally arrived at a river, Kagome's eyes rounded. Then she released a breath of relief.

Inuyasha was on the other side, his stance betraying his wariness as he looked from Sesshoumaru, to her and then back to Sesshoumaru again. He seemed confused, and Kagome did not blame him. After all, it was no secret that the taiyoukai despised humans. The fact that she was standing beside Sesshoumaru, alive, must be quite a sight.

"Inuyasha," she called out. "Can you come over here, please?" Please let him listen to her for once, she prayed.

The hanyou's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Keh! Why should I listen to you?" His gaze returned to Sesshoumaru. "And what the hell are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?"

A helpless groan escaped her lips.

"Such a disrespectful greeting, little brother," Sesshoumaru remarked quietly, but there was no mistaking the threat in his tone.

Kagome swallowed hard. This could get real ugly if she was not careful. "Inuyasha. Please, come over here. We just want to… talk."

"I don't even know you, wench! Why should I listen to you?" Inuyasha shot back, looking incredulous. "Especially since you're with that bastard."

Anger flared within her. "Well, if you didn't just disappear on me, I wouldn't have ended up with Sesshoumaru in the first place, would I? I went back to look for you and you were gone," she accused heatedly.

Inuyasha blinked. "You did?"

"I was worried about you, baka! I didn't know if you were alright after that fight!" she yelled. "Didn't you even think of waiting for me back there? Or at least come look for me?"

An odd look came across Inuyasha's features, and then he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "What are you getting so worked up for, wench?"

"Inuyasha…" she gritted out. She really had no patience for his attitude right now.

"Enough." Sesshoumaru's voice was hard. Turning to her, he intoned, "Now that he's present, you will uphold your end of the bargain."

Inuyasha froze. "Bargain?"

Kagome licked her lips nervously. "Ah… Yes. Tetsusaiga."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps you prefer death."

She gulped as Sesshoumaru flexed his claws threateningly.

"Oi, Sesshoumaru! Leave her alone, you bastard!" Inuyasha shouted as he sprung across the river towards them, his claws raised.

"Foolish brother," Sesshoumaru hissed as he swiftly deflected the attack.

Inuyasha landed next to her, thankfully unharmed. Turning to her, he asked incredulously, "You made a deal with Sesshoumaru?"

"He was going to kill me, alright?" she defended indignantly.

"You must have been out of your mind. Feh! I should just let him do it," Inuyasha shot back.

Her eyes bugged. "WHAT!"

"Wench, you will disclose the location of Tetsusaiga," Sesshoumaru interjected imperiously.

Inuyasha spun towards his brother. "What the hell are you talking about, Sesshoumaru? What Tetsusaiga?"

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed heavily. This could not be helped. One way or another, Sesshoumaru needed to get hold of the tomb's location for this entire thing to unfold. She just hated the idea of Inuyasha being hurt, but it could not be avoided. Snapping her eyes open, she took a few steps, placing herself in front of Sesshoumaru.

"The entrance to the tomb is a black pearl," she began quietly.

Sesshoumaru instantly fixed his full attention on her. Feeling rather nervous at the intensity of his stare, Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself.

"The black pearl is in Inuyasha's right eye," she finished weakly.

She saw Sesshoumaru blink once, and then he was gone.

Inuyasha yelled, "WHAT THE HELL!"

A battle instantly ensued. Jaken, who happened to be in the way, was flung away from the battle site when he got in the way of Inuyasha's claws. Sesshoumaru barely moved as he blocked Inuyasha's uncontrolled attacks. The taiyoukai seemed bored outwardly, but Kagome could see the gleam of intent in those golden orbs. Then Sesshoumaru's hand snapped out in a blur.

Kagome gasped when Inuyasha was lifted off the ground by his neck as Sesshoumaru dug his claw into the hanyou's right eye. Blood spattered and Kagome had to squeeze her eyes shut at the horrifying scene. She felt as if she had betrayed Inuyasha, causing him harm, but she knew that the hanyou would be alright. He healed so fast that he would be able to fight in no time.

Then the pearl was in Sesshoumaru's hands.

"Bastard!"

Dropping on the ground, Inuyasha glared at her and then at Sesshoumaru, his hand covering his bleeding right eye. Feeling guilty, Kagome averted her eyes from him and watched as Sesshoumaru brought the Staff of Two Heads down onto the pearl.

A bright light enveloped them.

Then the gate to the tomb appeared.

Without hesitation, Sesshoumaru stepped into the dark portal. Worried that they wouldn't make it, Kagome spun towards the hanyou on the ground and reached out to grab his hand. If they did not make it this time, Inuyasha would not have Tetsusaiga because there was no other way to get in there. At least, no other SAFE way to get in there.

"Come on, Inuyasha! We need to get in before it closes," she urged.

He shot her an incredulous look. "What the hell are you thinking? First, you made him dig the damned thing out of my eye, then you want to follow him in there? Are you out of your mind?"

"Believe me, Inuyasha, you'll regret it if you don't go in. That Tetsusaiga belongs to you, not him! Do you want him to steal it from you?" she yelled, growing more frantic by the second when she noticed that the portal to the tomb was slowly closing. "Come on, Inuyasha! Just trust me for once!"

Inuyasha blinked at her. Then, to her utmost relief, he stood up and grabbed her sleeve to pull her to towards the diminishing portal.

They made it in just before the portal closed completely.

* * *

The tomb was immense, reflecting the true form of the great Inu-no-Taishou, the now deceased taiyoukai of the West. It was the resting place not only for the youkai lord, but also the sword which rumored to be capable of killing hundreds in one single slash.

The oppressive atmosphere of the tomb barely registered on Sesshoumaru as he continued his assault on his hanyou brother. His lips curled. Inuyasha was just as weak as ever. It seemed that in all this time, his skills had not improved at all. It was bad enough that their father had placed his tomb in the hanyou's eyes. But the fact that Tetsusaiga had rejected him so thoroughly was completely unacceptable in Sesshoumaru's mind. Inuyasha had not been able to pull it out but at least the sword did not reject him outright.

It did not matter. He was going to put an end to this. Inuyasha would die today.

The sudden flare of energy drew his attention and his claws paused just an arm's length away from Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru turned over his shoulders to find an impossible sight.

Tetsusaiga was released from its rock.

And the one who had pulled it out was not him or Inuyasha. It was the_human_wench. The very human wench who had led them to this place.

Impossible.

"Done fighting?" the wench snapped, her eyes flashing in obvious irritation as she stood away from them.

Pausing, Sesshoumaru fixed his eyes on the odd spectacle of the human wench who was holding up the sword in one hand while the other was planted on her hips. How was it possible that a mere human wench could draw the sword when neither he nor his hanyou brother could do so? Could it be possible that there was something hidden underneath that human façade? Still, she did not seem like much.

"Don't look at her. Look at me," Inuyasha snarled.

Useless, Sesshoumaru thought derisively. At the moment, the wench was more of interest. Releasing the hanyou, he zipped towards the human. In a blink of an eye, he was staring down at her. Her brown eyes were large with fear as they met his.

"What are you and how did you draw the sword?" he asked levelly.

Her fear dissipated to be replaced by an expression of affront. "What do you mean, _what_ am I?"

Inuyasha's frantic voice reached him. "Sesshoumaru, leave her alone. She's not involved in this!"

Flicking a glance at the hanyou, the human wench yelled, "Don't do anything, Inuyasha!" Then she turned to eye him warily. "We made an agreement, Sesshoumaru. You promised not to kill Inuyasha if I showed you where is the tomb."

Unperturbed by her words, Sesshoumaru just looked at her thoughtfully before he turned his attention to Inuyasha. "For some unknown reason, I, Sesshoumaru, was unable to draw Tetsusaiga. Fortunately, you were unable to draw it either."

"Not only the wench knew the location of the fang, she was also able to draw it out." Pausing, Sesshoumaru glanced at the human. He did not like the unknown. When faced with one, he either studied it or he eliminated it. "It's obvious that she must die."

"Kagome, give him the sword. There's no choice," Inuyasha yelled, his hands clenching beside him.

_Yes, hand this Sesshoumaru the sword,_ he thought. Then she would die. He had only given his word to release her and not to kill Inuyasha, but had promised nothing about killing her.

Her eyes flashed, but it was her words which surprised him. "No way! He couldn't pull it out and anyway it's yours, not his," she shouted heatedly.

Foolish wench, Sesshoumaru thought derisively. "Both of you will die," he declared coldly as he extended his claws.

The second the stream of poison shot towards her, the wench swung Tetsusaiga in front of her. Her eyes widened when the fang glowed in a bright pearlescent hue just as his poison made contact. A sizzling sound hissed through the air as her pure power neutralized the poison.

"Insolent wench!" Sesshoumaru snarled. The wench was a miko, he realized suddenly. A powerful one at that. He should have realized that she was probably the one who had released Inuyasha in the first place. It did not matter. He would see to it that she was taught a lesson.

"WAIT, SESSHOUMARU!"

Sesshoumaru did not know why he paused. Perhaps it was the astounding forcefulness of the tone from such a small person. Then his lips thinned in irritation as she lowered Tetsusaiga, allowing the tip to scrape the rocky ground. How dare she disrespect it so?

"You want Tetsusaiga? Then I want to make a deal with you."

Inuyasha tensed and then his eyes widened incredulously. "WHAT? Are you out of your mind?"

Sesshoumaru eyed the wench critically. She had kept her words once before, but would she do the same again? Deciding that there was no harm in listening, he instructed, "Speak."

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. "I'll give you Tetsusaiga, if you give your word that you would help us kill Naraku."

Sesshoumaru frowned. He had not heard of this Naraku.

"And remember that the last deal still stands, that you won't kill Inuyasha," she added firmly.

His claws flexed. The offer was tempting, but he did not need it. After all, miko or not, he could easily relieve the wench of the blade. Her earlier defense had alerted him to her skill and now he was prepared. It would be a challenge. However, he would succeed. He would not allow himself any other option.

"I decline," he intoned flatly just as he raised his claws.

He would end this now. Inuyasha would die and he would obtain their father's legacy. With that thought, he launched himself at Inuyasha, intent on sinking his claw in his brother's guts. Glaring at him, Inuyasha flexed his own claws.

"NO!" the miko shrieked.

A blue arrow streaked past him, throwing his aim. Even with that, Sesshoumaru managed to slice a wound in his brother's arm. Inuyasha's blood splashed on the rock which had housed Tetsusaiga. Disregarding it, Sesshoumaru spun around to continue his assault, only to be distracted by a bright flare of light bursting out from the rock, blinding in its intensity. Holding up his arm to shield his eyes, Sesshoumaru took a step back.

When he lowered his arm, his eyes widened in shock as he took in the form standing on the rock.

"Obaa-san…" he hissed in disbelief.

* * *

_Obaa-san?_

Kagome glanced at the wraithlike figure and then back at Sesshoumaru. The woman with flowing silver hair and white dress was Sesshoumaru's grandmother? She supposed she could see the family resemblance. The woman had a regal bearing like Sesshoumaru. The color of her eyes, her hair and the stripes on her cheeks were also obviously family traits. The only difference was that her forehead was bare.

"Sesshoumaru," the woman greeted, but her voice lacked warmth. Instead, it sounded disapproving. Then she turned to Inuyasha. "I don't believe I had the pleasure of meeting my second grandson, Inuyasha." Her tone was no longer disapproving. Instead, she sounded curious.

Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha just stood staring at the regal figure of their grandmother. Kagome felt herself growing cold. What was happening? This was not supposed to happen, she thought frantically. She had obviously gone and done something wrong, hadn't she?

Then comprehension dawned. Kagome sucked in a sharp breath when she realized that she had not attempted to fight back using her miko powers the first time round. With an inward groan, she slumped. Why on earth did she do it?

Then to Kagome's surprise, the woman's attention turned to her. "So, you're the one who managed to draw the sword. How interesting."

"She would not be holding it for long," Sesshoumaru remarked quietly. "A mere human should not be wielding such a great sword."

His grandmother turned around gracefully, her long white hair swirling around her. "Still, the girl was right. If you couldn't pull it out, it means that Tetsusaiga not yours, Sesshoumaru. It's Inuyasha's."

The taiyoukai's expression did not change. "I will have it."

"It belongs to Inuyasha," his grandmother reiterated sternly.

"The hanyou is not worthy of it."

Kagome watched as the woman glided over to Sesshoumaru. "You can't take Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru. He needs it to bind his youkai blood. Did Myoga not inform you of this?" she asked with obvious annoyance.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Inuyasha disinterestedly before he turned back to his grandmother. "The world would be better with one less hanyou."

His grandmother gasped, looking horrified. "He's your brother, Sesshoumaru! You share the same blood."

"His blood is tainted."

Her wise golden eyes flashed in disapproval. "That sort of narrow thinking will get you nowhere, pup."

Kagome's eyes widened at his grandmother's proclamation. For some reason, it looked as if only Sesshoumaru was against humans. His grandmother certainly did not seem to have the same prejudice.

"I care not." Sesshoumaru's voice was dismissive.

His grandmother frowned. "What happened to you in all these years? Just listen to me, Sesshoumaru. Open your heart a little. Accept Inuyasha for what he is."

"No."

Her frown deepened. "I am disappointed in you. And I have no doubt that your father would feel the same if he had seen you like this."

A muscle in Sesshoumaru's jaw ticked. "He no longer has any say in this matter."

His grandmother's eyes flared red momentarily before it turned back to into golden orbs. Kagome bit her lips. The woman looked angry. Really angry. And it was scary. Kagome's hands tightened on Tetsusaiga reflexively as she glanced at Inuyasha. Obviously confused, the hanyou was staring wordlessly at Sesshoumaru and his grandmother.

When the woman spoke next, her voice was low. "Sesshoumaru, you're so arrogant and cruel. You will lose your soul if you continue like this. Someone needs to teach you to behave like a decent youkai. Until you learn the meaning of compassion, you will relive the time when you're still able to see with fresh, unjaded eyes."

Another blinding flash lighted the tomb and it began to shake.

Throwing up her hands, Kagome let out an involuntary squeak before she felt herself being pulled upwards. Hey eyes flicked around frantically. What was happening? Where was Inuyasha?

"Inuyasha!" she screamed desperately as she was flung further up.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Consciousness returned to her slowly. Kagome cracked open her eyes to find herself lying on her side on the damp grass. Groaning at the pain which shot through her body as she tried to move, Kagome wondered what she had done to deserve this.

Then she remembered the tomb. Anxiety coursed through her as she shot up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in her arms and legs. A hard object was touching her leg, and she looked down to find Tetsusaiga laying on the ground beside her. Her eyes widened in alarm. No, this could not be. Inuyasha was supposed to be holding Tetsusaiga, not her!

Oh, Kami-sama! Nothing was turning out like it should.

"Inuyasha?" she called out anxiously. "Sesshoumaru?"

Stumbling to her feet, she looked around, spotting her pack nearby. But she saw no sign of the two brothers. Where were they?

"INUYASHA!" she yelled with growing desperation.

Maybe he did not make it out of the tomb. Or maybe he was hurt. No, please let him be alright. She did not come back all the way to relive all this to have Inuyasha dying on her so early. She would not be able to take it. Not again.

Then a flash of silver in the distance caught her attention. There he was, she thought in relief. Hoping that he was alright, she ran towards him, picking up her backpack along the way. As she neared him, her steps began to falter. Confusion suffused her features as she studied his form, her mind not quite comprehending what her eyes were seeing.

There was too much white and far too little red. And the body was too small, only about Souta's size.

Steps slowing, she began to approach with more caution.

The first thing she saw was a mop of flowing silvery hair. Curiously, her eyes took in a fluffy white mass within the folds of white silk covering the small body. Then the object of her scrutiny turned around, looking at her suspiciously with large unblinking golden eyes. The crescent moon on his forehead and the twin stripes high on his chubby cheeks were dead giveaways.

It could not be…

"Sesshoumaru?"

* * *

A/N: Yup, that's it for this chapter. Hehe, Kagome really made a mess out of things, but I promise that things will eventually turn out okay. Hope you've enjoyed it. Please review if you can, okay? Thanks! And while I'm here, let me wish you all a **HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

:elle6778:


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: As always, I thank you all for reading and reviewing this story! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Just in case you want to know, this state Sesshoumaru found himself in would form only a small arc of this story. We'll see the adult version eventually!

And here's the next chapter for your reading pleasure…

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 6**

"Sesshoumaru?" she ventured uncertainly. Was that cute kid really Sesshoumaru?

A pair of bewildered eyes blinked at her. "Who are you?" he asked quietly. "And how do you know my name?" He paused in thought and then immediately demanded, "You will tell me where I am."

At his words, Kagome released the breath she did not realize she was holding. So it really was Sesshoumaru after all. That tone could not belong to anyone else, even though the voice was pitched much higher.

Wait. Did it mean that she had been thrown further back into the past somehow?

Then her eyes landed on the sword beside Sesshoumaru.

Tenseiga.

A frown marred her brows. If Tenseiga was there, it was probably safe for her to assume that she had not been thrown back further into the past. After all, Inuyasha had told her once that Tenseiga was created only _after_ Sesshoumaru had become an adult. So the only feasible explanation for this was that his grandmother's spirit had been really mad enough to do revert him back to a child. And it looked as if Sesshoumaru did not remember their time in the tomb, let alone her identity. Did that mean that he no longer wanted to kill her?

And more importantly, how would this change the future?

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm Kagome. And you're in…" she faltered, waving a hand about. She had no idea where they were.

"You don't know," he stated flatly, inspecting the ground with a serious frown. Then he looked up at her. "How do you know my name? I don't remember you."

"You're… umm… my friend's brother," she finally said.

It was the truth after all. She would just have to make sure that she did not give away his adult identity. How could she tell him the truth? How could she tell a child that he would grow up to be an arrogant, cold-hearted assassin? That he would be cruel enough to kill his own brother for the sake of a sword? He would not believe her if she did anyway.

Sesshoumaru's frown deepened. "I don't have a brother. I'm an only child."

It was very disconcerting to see the various emotions on Sesshoumaru's face. Although she had only met the taiyoukai many times over the years, he had barely exhibited any emotion each time. Well, apart from complete disinterest and disdain. To see such vivid emotions on his face, even in this young form, was rather unsettling.

"Heh heh." She knew that her laugh sounded forced, but this entire situation was just too surreal. There was no question that she could not tell him the truth about his current state. Or why he did not remember having a brother. How could she explain to a child Sesshoumaru that his grandmother was punishing him because she did not like his attitude?

"Kagome?"

Perhaps it was best to evade the questions. "Umm… Trust me on this. Inuyasha's your half-brother and you've lost contact with each other. Let's find him. He must be somewhere close. Then you can ask him anything you want."

Yes, she would leave it to Inuyasha to explain. She just hoped that she would find that hanyou friend of hers soon. This was really too much for her to deal with alone.

* * *

Sesshoumaru was… confused. The human girl in front of him was not making any sense. He did not recognize the area he was in and he could not recall how he had arrived there in the first place. The Western Lands did not look like this at all. A quick downward glance told him that he was dressed in his usual traveling attire, but oddly enough, there was a sword strapped to his waist.

One which he did not recognize.

Feeling increasingly perplexed, he touched the hilt and was rewarded with a sense of acceptance. It was clear that sword was related to his blood, most likely his father. How curious, for he could not recall receiving such a thing from his Chichi-ue.

Raising his eyes to the human who called herself Kagome, he asked, "What is this?"

Her eyes flickered in obvious indecision. Then she took a deep breath. "It's Tenseiga, a healing sword. It is a gift from your father."

"I do not remember such a gift," he stated blandly. "Why?"

She averted her eyes. "I can't explain it."

"Hn."

This human was certainly unhelpful in terms of information. He could not be certain, but perhaps it was a common trait in humans. Since she did not possess any useful information, he no longer needed to communicate with her.

Still perplexed by his situation, Sesshoumaru slowly studied his surroundings. It was almost midday, and he could see a forest nearby. There was nothing around him which informed him of where he was. Perhaps he should travel to find something he recognized, and then he could find his way home from there. Still, a lone young youkai, even one of Inu-no-Taishou's blood, would be foolish to travel without companions. Common sense told him that he would only endanger himself but traveling alone appeared to be the only option.

"Let's go, Sesshoumaru. We need to find Inuyasha," she suddenly said.

She was inviting him to travel? Sesshoumaru stood rooted to the same spot as the female in front of him began to walk away. It was clear that she expected him to follow her. But where to? She was a stranger. He did not know her. All he knew was her name and nothing else.

What would happen to him if he followed her? Would she seek to inflict harm upon him? He had heard such rumors before, that humans were afraid of youkai and would not think twice of killing them. Sesshoumaru frowned. But then again, he also remembered that his grandmother had told him not to judge the humans too harshly. After all, not all of them were of the same mind.

What should he do?

The girl's step faltered and she turned to look at him over her shoulders. Upon noticing that he was not following her, she shook her head slowly and walked back to him, a curiously resigned expression adorning her features.

"Come on, Sesshoumaru. Let's go," she urged when she reached him, holding out a hand.

He stared down at her slender fingers wordlessly until she finally dropped them by her side. Should he follow her? She seemed sane. Or perhaps this was a plot against his father. Perhaps the other lords had decided to send a changeling to deceive him. That would explain how she knew who he was. In which case, it was best that he remained cautious.

Taking a step back, he shook his head. "I will return home." If he could find where home was, he added silently. It concerned him that he had suddenly appeared here in unfamiliar territory. How long would it take him to travel to the Western Lands?

She seemed to be surprised at his answer. Then concern marred her features as she took a step to close the gap between them.

"Listen, I can't let you wander off by yourself. It's dangerous out here," she told him, kneeling down in front of him so that they were eye to eye. "Come with me. We'll go find Inuyasha and he will be able to lead you home," she coaxed.

Sesshoumaru eyed her warily. He sensed no deceit from her but she might be under a concealment spell. Still, if she spoke the truth about this brother that he had yet to meet, perhaps he should go with her.

"Sesshoumaru. It's okay to come with me."

Her soft brown eyes pleaded with him. Something about it reiterated that she did not mean him any harm. Yes, he should go with her. After all, he did not know where else to go. And even if he was wrong about his assessment of her, the danger would be slight. He would simply have to make sure that he remained alert at all times. Humans were not as powerful as youkai, therefore if need be, he would subdue her with force.

Mind made up, he nodded slightly. The girl who called herself Kagome brightened instantly.

"Great!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

* * *

Kagome had only led the way for few hours before she realized that she had no idea which direction she was headed in. Much to her embarrassment, the child Sesshoumaru had quietly but firmly taken the lead. Instead of heading north, they were now heading west.

Trying to ignore the discomfort of Tetsusaiga bumping against her side with every step, she looked down at the silver-haired head beside her. Even as a child, Sesshoumaru seemed so much more composed than anyone she knew. It was as if he had been born that way. The only real difference she could see between the adult and the child was that the child did not seem to have an aversion towards humans.

Yet.

And of course, no attempt on her life had been made.

Yet.

They continued to journey across the land, some which Kagome recognized, some which she did not. After an entire day of walking, on top of not having any sleep the night before, Kagome knew that she could not go on. Not to mention that it was beginning to get too dark for her to see where she was going. Finding Inuyasha or not, she had to rest for the night.

Turning to the boy walking beside her, she said, "Sesshoumaru, we need to stop for the night, okay?"

He glanced up at her, his brow furrowing. "We have not gone far."

Kagome sighed inwardly. Should she explain that her frail human body needed a break? That she was pitifully weak compared to him? Maybe she should appeal to his… um… sense of sympathy?

"I know. But I'm really tired and I need to rest," she ventured.

Understanding dawned on his little face. "I understand," he replied in a serious tone.

Kagome blinked in surprise at his reaction. She had not expected it. It was beginning to look like this child Sesshoumaru possessed a bit more compassion that his older self. What his grandmother had done was beginning to make sense to her. Sesshoumaru had not always been the cold-hearted taiyoukai. Somewhere along the line, something had happened to change him.

She watched silently as he looked around, giving the impression that he was searching for something. A short while later, he pointed towards his left. "We will stop there."

Still stunned by his unexpected compassion, not to mention the way he had so easily taken charge of their journey, she just nodded. He was just a child but he was definitely more self-assured than she was. Not to mention that his manners were impeccable. Kagome had an awful feeling that he was actually more responsible than she was. How had he spent his childhood? Learning to lead? Learning how to shoulder responsibilities? A child his age should be playing, not being taught how to carry responsibilities far too heavy for his young shoulders.

It was not long afterwards that she found herself standing beside him in front of a shallow stream. Sesshoumaru had picked a good spot. With the stream so close by, she did not have to wander far to fetch water for dinner preparations.

With a relieved sigh, she set down her backpack and began to rummage through it for food. Once she had laid out the necessary equipments, she stood up and began to gather some dry pieces of wood. When she finally collected enough, she returned to the camp and dropped them into a small pile. Soon, the wood crackled as tongues of fire licked them. As she waited for the fire to grow, her eyes sought Sesshoumaru out.

She found him sitting cross-legged on a flat rock next to the stream, staring out thoughtfully at the gurgling water. Picking up her pot, she went to the edge of the stream and proceeded to scoop up some water. As she straightened, she glanced at Sesshoumaru and noted that there was a faint hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

Kagome's eyes softened. This must be really hard on him. She could not imagine how he must feel, thinking that he was being tossed somewhere strange with an unknown companion. He was taking it very well considering the circumstances. If she was in his place, she would probably be curling up in a miserable lump, crying her eyes out.

Suddenly she wanted to laugh. What was she thinking of? She _was_ in a similar fix, having being thrown five hundred years or so back in time for the second time. But at least she had a purpose here, thanks to her own ineptness at making a wish. Idly, she wondered where Naraku was. Maybe if they got to him earlier, they could defeat him faster. Then again, Inuyasha had not learnt all those techniques yet.

Shuddering slightly at the feeling of dejection painted by the thought going through everything again, she turned back to the fire. Putting the pot to boil, she turned to look at Sesshoumaru again.

How would his presence affect the future? Whoever he was as an adult, she knew that she would never leave someone as young as him to wander about by himself, youkai or not. And there was no telling when he would revert back to his real self. She supposed that once Inuyasha arrived, they could together for as long as Sesshoumaru was a child. Somehow, she did not think that Inuyasha would welcome the idea.

Well, it was too bad for him. After all, Sesshoumaru _was_ his brother. If he tried to be unreasonable, she would just have to subdue him until he agreed.

Then her eyes widened when she realized something. Something which should have occurred to her earlier.

The subjugation beads were never placed on Inuyasha.

Her throat went dry. What would this mean for them? Those beads had played quite a large part in the past, especially in keeping Inuyasha from doing stupid things. Was there anything she could do about it now? Should she find Kaede and somehow explain why she needed to subjugation beads?

Groaning out loud, her shoulders slumped dejectedly. She supposed there was nothing she could do about it now. Scolding herself inwardly, she poured the boiling water into the two cups of ramen, hoping that it was enough for the child. She should be thankful that at least the alternate future had instant food, even though the packaging was quite different from what she was used to.

"Sesshoumaru?" she called out when the food was ready.

Turning around, his eyes went to the cups held in her hands. "Yes?" he questioned, his eyes shining with curiosity.

Giving him an encouraging smile, she invited, "Come on and have some dinner. It's only ramen, but that's all I have."

Jumping gracefully off the rock, he made his way towards her, his nose twitching at the smell from the ramen bowls.

She handed him one with a pair of chopsticks. "Here. Try some."

Their eyes met for a moment. Hesitantly, Sesshoumaru took the food from her. His expression betrayed some of his misgiving as he eyed the contents of the bowl, but after a moment he sat down with the bowl in his hands.

"Thank you."

Polite as usual, Kagome thought with amusement. "You're welcome, Sesshoumaru."

* * *

Sesshoumaru studied the curly strands in the bowl critically. It looked like a thinner and curlier version of what he had seen some humans eat. Vaguely, he wondered if his stomach could digest it. After all, this was not the sort of food he usually consumed.

However, he knew that it would be considered rude if he returned the bowl of food to her without even tasting it. His grandmother had always told him never to do so unless it was something truly inedible. He shrugged inwardly, deciding that it was highly unlikely that the small amount of food would cause him much harm. Dipping the ends of the chopsticks in the soupy mass, he fished out a strand and quickly brought it to his mouth.

The salty taste spread warmly on his tongue, followed by some rich flavor he could not identify. Chewing slowly, he realized that the food was actually quite palatable. The second bite found its way faster to his mouth. A little too spicy than he was used to, but nevertheless, it was good.

Before he knew it, the bowl of what Kagome called ramen was wiped clean. Sighing inwardly at the empty bowl, he carefully set it down before he looked up at Kagome for the first time since he had started eating. She was looking at him with a smile on her face.

What puzzled him the most was how well she treated him considering that he did not even recall knowing her. As far as he was concerned, she was a stranger. But from her attitude, it would seem that she knew him.

There was also this curious fact that he had a brother. Perhaps his father had a concubine somewhere and none of them knew about it. Sesshoumaru blinked at the thought of how enraged his mother would be when she found out about his father's supposed indiscretion. Still, he might be wrong. Perhaps he should meet this Inuyasha to see if there was any truth in what Kagome had told him. There was a possibility that it was something as simple as a misunderstanding.

"Was that alright?" she asked.

It would be greedy of him to ask for more, therefore he simply nodded. "It was sufficient."

She stood up. A brief flash of hesitation crossed her face before she gestured to the stream. "Well, I'm just going to take a quick bath."

He stared at her, wondering why it was necessary for her to inform him of this.

"Um… You just stay here and watch over the stuff, alright?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and watched as she walked towards the stream and disappeared behind the foliage.

* * *

Uncomfortable by the idea of leaving the child Sesshoumaru alone for any amount of time, Kagome finished her bath quickly and then returned to camp. Sesshoumaru was sitting cross-legged on a flat piece of rock, looking as if he was meditating when she arrived.

Deciding not to disturb him, she prepared her bedding to settle down for the night. For a moment, she wondered if she should offer Sesshoumaru to sleep with her, before she realized that it would turn out to be rather awkward for her. Even though Sesshoumaru was now a child, there was no telling what his reaction would be if and when he turned back to his adult self. It was better to be safe than sorry, in this instance.

Still, she stood there undecided as she eyed the meditating figure. What if Sesshoumaru got cold in the middle of the night? She could not just leave him to sleep like that.

Finally, she fished out a spare blanket from her pack and walked towards Sesshoumaru. When she neared him, his eyes opened to stare right at her.

Placing the blanket beside him on the rock, she said, "It might get cold tonight. Use this."

He glanced down at the blanket, then back at her with a slightly startled expression. "Thank you."

Casting him a small smile, she turned and walked back to her own bedroll. That was all she had been able to find in the alternate future, seeing that she had no idea where to find a synthetic sleeping bag, if it even existed. Laying down on the bedroll, she pulled a thin blanket over herself and closed her eyes.

She did not know how long she had slept, but the next thing she knew, she was woken up by a noise her sluggish mind could not identify. Slowly, as her senses sharpened, the muffled sound became clearer to her, making her frown as she sat up. Holding her breath, she listened intently to try to figure out where it came from.

Then she heard a soft sniff from the large tree nearby and a flash of silver caught her eyes.

Sesshoumaru.

Quietly, she tossed aside her blanket and went to the large tree to find Sesshoumaru leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. A quick scan of his face told her that he had been crying. For a long while, she could only stare at him in shock. This was Sesshoumaru, after all. And crying was the last thing she expected from the taiyoukai.

Then her heart sank. Sesshoumaru or not, the youkai in front of her was just a kid, and considering everything, he must be feeling so lost and alone.

"Sesshoumaru?" she called out softly.

He did not reply. Instead, she saw him squeeze his eyes shut tighter and lower his head, as if to prevent her from seeing his tears. His silver hair formed a shield around his face. Taking a step closer, she lowered herself next to him. He immediately tensed, obviously sensing her proximity to him even with his eyes closed.

"You can talk to me, you know," she coaxed gently.

His eyes cracked open, revealing a set of moist golden eyes to her. "I don't need it."

Thinking that there was no reason to make him feel more uncomfortable, she was careful to look into the distance and not towards him when she settled down on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"It helps to talk," she pointed out softly.

"I don't want to talk," he declared quietly.

"Fine, I'll just sit here with you then. I don't really want to be alone," she remarked, sneaking a sideways glance at him.

He gave her a disbelieving look before turning away. Hiding a smile, Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree.

Silence surrounded them. Tired from the events of the past twenty-four hours, Kagome felt her consciousness ebb as her body demanded sleep. She almost nodded off when Sesshoumaru's voice broke the silence.

"I wish to return home."

Kagome opened her eyes to look at him. His tears were gone now. He looked like he always did, his expression not giving away much, but she could see the hint of longing in his eyes. He sounded so lost that it tore at her heart. Who would have thought that Sesshoumaru could have elicited such a feeling from her?

"What was the last thing you remember before you got here?" she asked softly.

A moment of silence followed before he replied somewhat hesitantly, "I was in the courtyard. Obaa-san was leaving and I was saying goodbye."

Kagome's eyes widened. His grandmother must have decided to send him back to the time when she had been still alive. Vaguely, Kagome wondered when Sesshoumaru's grandmother had left the world of the living. The old inuyoukai did not seem the type to allow Sesshoumaru to turn into the cold, arrogant taiyoukai he was as an adult.

"Are you very close to her?"

A small smile lifted the corner of his lips. "It pleases me when Obaa-san visits us. But she lives on another land."

Kagome's eyebrow rose. "Where?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "I don't know."

She supposed that it was not something which he was interested in. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. All this talk about family made her miss her own. It felt like she had not seen them for years, even though she had came through the well a little less than two days ago. So many things had happened since then.

"I'm away from my family too," she confided in him.

He gave her a curious look. "Are you going to see them again?"

"I hope so. But I have something to do here first."

"What is that?"

For a moment, she wondered if it would be wise to tell Sesshoumaru about the Shikon jewel and everything that had revolved from it. She glanced at him to find a pair of curious golden eyes fixed to her and was instantly reminded that this was not Sesshoumaru as she knew from yesterday in the tomb, nor the Sesshoumaru from the future. This Sesshoumaru was innocent, not a cold-blooded assassin. Yet. Maybe if she gained his trust now, he would be more receptive if and when he transformed back to his adult form. And perhaps this would be something to take his mind off home.

"Do you know about the Shikon-no-Tama?"

His face displayed his puzzlement. "I'm aware of its origin."

"Many youkai and even humans are after the Shikon because of its power."

He adopted a thoughtful look. "Obaa-san told me about the legend of Shikon-no-tama. About how the jewel was created from the great battle of Midoriko and the powerful demons. And how it could be used for good or evil."

She nodded. "That's right."

"Father thinks that it is not honorable to gain power from such a bauble. One should seek to improve one's own strength, not by relying on something else."

Kagome's eyes widened at his words. His father had thought him well. "So, you agree with that?" she asked carefully.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "My education would provide me enough skills to survive. But once it is over, I have to seek to improve my strength on my own."

"That's admirable, Sesshoumaru."

"No. It is just necessary. I'm the heir of the Western Lands. Weakness is not acceptable," he declared seriously.

Kagome smiled softly at his determined expression. So that was how Sesshoumaru ended up being so strong. If he was this determined as a child, she could only imagine how forceful he was as a growing adult. But still, that did not explain how he became so cold-hearted. There was definitely no sign of that coldness in this child.

A comfortable silence descended upon them then. After a while, a soft pressure on her shoulders told her that Sesshoumaru had fallen asleep leaning against her. Her expression softened. Then she succumbed to her own need for sleep.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened slowly to be greeted by the sight of sunrise in the horizon.

It took him a mere second to realize that he was leaning against another. Oddly comforted by the warmth, but feeling thoroughly unsettled by it, Sesshoumaru quickly removed himself. Standing aside, he stared at the sleeping figure of the human girl. Bodily contact was not something he indulged in often. His mother had told him more than once that such a thing was unnecessary each time his grandmother hugged him. But he could not help but admit that it had felt nice.

His neck suddenly pricked.

Brows furrowing, Sesshoumaru spun around on his heels. His eyes landed on a figure clad in red who was staring back at him with something akin to shock.

Then the figure spoke in a low, growling tone. "What the hell…"

Before he could think of an appropriate response, Sesshoumaru felt Kagome stir. He glanced back towards her to find her jumping to her feet, her face alight with relief and excitement. With a gasp, she dashed past him towards the newcomer.

"Inuyasha! You're safe!"

Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru's eyes widened. This was his brother? He did not know what to expect but it certainly came as a surprise that Inuyasha was a hanyou. Though it was not hard to see the family resemblance. Inuyasha had the same hair, only slightly whiter and he had no markings. The golden eyes were also a dead giveaway.

"Keh! Of course! What do you take me for?" Then he pointed. "What's that?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Don't point, Inuyasha. That's Sesshoumaru. Don't tell me you don't recognize your own brother."

"Oh…" A moment of silence passed before Inuyasha added softly, "I see."

To Sesshoumaru's surprise, Inuyasha's eyes began to gleam with certain menace. Instantly, Sesshoumaru's senses told him to back away. But to do so was cowardly, he reminded himself. His father had taught him so.

Cracking his knuckles menacingly, Inuyasha began to stalk towards him.

"What are your intentions?" Sesshoumaru questioned, forcing himself to remain still even though he felt like bolting.

"Inuyasha! Stop it!" Kagome snapped.

Raising his fist, Inuyasha grinned evilly. "This is going to be so much fun."

Now that Inuyasha was closer, he could tell for certain that they shared the same blood. And yet, it was clear to him that Inuyasha wanted to strike him. But why? What did he do?

"Stay back," Sesshoumaru bit out.

"I'm warning you, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, bending down to pick up a piece of rock.

Sesshoumaru immediately wondered what she was planning on doing with the rock. Such a weapon would not suffice against one of Inu-no-Taishou's blood. It appeared that he would have to defend himself against this hanyou brother of his. Pressing his lips together in determination, Sesshoumaru raised his arms and extended his tiny, but sharp claws. Then he fixed his full attention on the approaching hanyou.

"Scared, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha taunted.

"I'm not afraid," Sesshoumaru stated, trying hard to keep his voice even. But underneath, he could feel his own heart thumping hard against his ribcage. He was not certain that he was fully capable of winning this battle. After all, his training was not yet complete.

Inuyasha's grin widened as he continued to advance. Her expression twisted in annoyance, Kagome threw the now glowing rock at the hanyou. When it hit the hanyou's bare feet, Inuyasha yelped and was instantly thrown back. Sesshoumaru's blinked in surprise, his clawed hand suspended mid-air. The glow of the rock suggested holy powers. Was this human girl a miko?

Before Sesshoumaru could ponder upon the implications of traveling with one which was a sworn enemy of demons, Inuyasha's outraged snarl caught his attention.

Jumping to his feet, Inuyasha glared at Kagome. "What the hell did you do that for?" he yelled indignantly.

"How could you even think of beating up a kid?" Kagome yelled, her face flushed with anger.

"I'm not a child," Sesshoumaru protested with a frown. "And I can defend myself."

Inuyasha cast a withering look at him. Not wanting to appear weak, Sesshoumaru stood his ground and glared back at the hanyou.

"Keh! So you can defend yourself, huh?"

Sesshoumaru tipped his chin up. "Certainly."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes menacingly. "Show me," he growled.

"Stop it, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha swung around to face her, a smirk making its way across his features. "Hey, he said he can defend himself. Let us see what he's made of."

Kagome immediately ran in front of him, holding her hands out to block his hanyou brother. "No," she hissed angrily.

"You do not need to protect me, Kagome," Sesshoumaru protested as he stepped around her. Her reaction baffled him. Why would she protect him from his own brother? Yes, his brother seemed to be a little unrestrained not to mention unstable, but he was still responsible for his own welfare.

Inuyasha smirked. "See, the brat wants to fight," he said as he took a menacing step forward.

"I'm warning you, Inuyasha," Kagome gritted out, reaching down to pick up another piece of rock.

"Keh!"

Shoving Kagome out of the way, Inuyasha launched towards him. As the girl fell on her side, Sesshoumaru darted away from his brother's attack. However, he did not anticipate Inuyasha's speed. The hanyou was up in the air before he knew it.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as Inuyasha's claws descended towards him.

* * *

A/N: And that's it until the next update. Hope you like how it's progressing and please review if you can. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: (Hugs all) Thanks so much for reviewing! I love reading the reviews you left for this story. And um… to those of you who had noticed that I'm writing a Naruto fanfiction, please do not worry that I'll abandon this one, okay? So, here's the next chapter – please enjoy!

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 7**

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as Inuyasha's claws descended towards him.

His first instinct was to flee in the face of the threat. Then he realized that he was not allowed to do so. His pride would not allow him to do so. No, he would not show any fear. He would defend himself. And furthermore, he would gain experience by this battle.

Steeling himself, Sesshoumaru prepared to launch in the air to counter Inuyasha's attack.

But before he could move, a glowing rock flew past him. A thud sounded a second later, stopping Inuyasha mid-air and then sending the hanyou flying some distance away.

Inuyasha crashed loudly, throwing up chunks of earth as his body carved a crater in the ground. Rubble from the explosion caved in around him. Sesshoumaru could not help but wince at the sight of the hanyou's buried head. The position was highly debilitating. It was hardly surprising that Inuyasha was in such a foul disposition if he was regularly being humiliated in this manner. Perhaps Kagome was not aware of its effect.

"Wwmmuhh! Ughh!" came the sound from within the rubble, while the owner struggled to free himself.

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulders to find Kagome wearing a grim expression, her eyes flashing with anger. "Perhaps you should refrain from subduing Inuyasha," he suggested quietly.

She responded in a tight voice, "He deserves it, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "It is humiliating. Also, it is dishonorable for me to depend on your protection. It is only right that I accept his challenge."

Kagome gaped at him disbelievingly. "You can't be serious! You're going to allow that bully to beat you up?"

_Bully?_ Frowning at the girl's strange speech, he chose to ignore the word and went on, "I will uphold my honor. Please understand."

"I can't let him beat you up, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru straightened, his expression turning implacable. He had to stress to her the importance of allowing this battle to commence. It was to be expected that Inuyasha wished to test him to measure their relative strength. After all, they were siblings. However, if Kagome insisted on subduing Inuyasha, the test would not happen.

He had to explain this to her. "In matters such as this, there could be no compromise. I will shame my line if I do not prove myself."

She fell silent, but he could see the indecision in her eyes. Sensing that she required another small push, he added, "I am a full-blooded youkai. Any injuries will heal fast."

She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, but I can't let it happen."

His frowned in annoyance at her persistence. She did not know him, nor his culture, which explained why she insisted on interfering. But he could not allow it. "It is none of your concern. Give me your word that you will not interfere."

Her lips parted in surprise as she gaped at him. Then, after a while, a thoughtful expression crossed her face. Slowly, she asked, "Can you really handle him? Honestly?"

Slightly affronted by her insinuation, Sesshoumaru declared, "I'm the heir to the Western Lands and I'm trained as such."

She stared at him for a long moment before she finally nodded hesitantly. Before she could say anything else, the sound of clattering rubble drew Sesshoumaru's attention to Inuyasha. His brother was now standing upright, glaring at him with ill-intent. It was time to resume their battle fairly.

With that thought, Sesshoumaru streaked towards the hanyou, catching Inuyasha's look of surprise just moments before his claws sank through the red fire-rat robe. In response, Inuyasha jumped back while Sesshoumaru landed not far away. A quick glance down at his small claws told him that he drew blood, but it was clear that the wound was not deep. He had only succeeded in scratching the hanyou. The battle was far from over.

"Why… You stupid brat!" Inuyasha shouted. "I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

"You will fight fairly," Sesshoumaru said calmly, although he did not feel calm at all. The odd mix of excitement and trepidation was sending his blood coursing wildly through his veins.

"Keh! There's no such thing as a fair fight!" the hanyou spat, darting towards him.

Sesshoumaru took to the air to avoid the attack, but Inuyasha immediately followed. A large hand clamped around his ankles, and to his alarm, Sesshoumaru felt himself being pulled back down. He hit the ground, stumbling slightly before he righted himself only to see Inuyasha looming above him with outstretched hands, displaying his claws.

Then to his surprise, Inuyasha caught him in a chokehold. Sesshoumaru immediately brought his hands up. His claws sank into the hanyou's forearm, its sizzling poison forcing a yelp of pain from the hanyou. Still, Inuyasha's hold did not loosen. But what astounded Sesshoumaru further was the manner in which Inuyasha chose to retaliate.

With his fist, Inuyasha thumped the top of his head.

Hard.

Then the hanyou released him.

Sesshoumaru's eyes grew wide in shock as he staggered back. The top of his head throbbed, but he was too stunned to pay any attention to it, even though it was likely that a large bruise would form. He had expected Inuyasha to attack seriously. Instead, the hanyou had chosen a more insulting action by knuckling his head. Even now, Inuyasha was smirking down at him mockingly.

"How dare you belittle me!" Sesshoumaru hissed furiously.

The hanyou's brow rose. "I'm not low enough to beat up a helpless pup, even if it's you," he scoffed carelessly.

Sesshoumaru's youki crackled erratically around him, and he fought to restrain it. He could not remember experiencing this much anger in his life, ever. Still, he must not let anyone see it. His mother had often told him that he must not display his emotions. That those emotions could be used against him. His hands clenched into tight fists, he tried with all his might to keep his body from trembling in his fury.

A gentle voice broke the silence. "Sesshoumaru?"

His attention shifted from Inuyasha to Kagome. She was wearing a look of concern, but he could also detect a sense of relief from her. The sight of the human wench was oddly calming.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am unharmed." Casting his eyes onto Inuyasha, he continued, "That was not a fight."

"Keh! You seriously want to be beaten up?" Inuyasha retorted, the infuriating smirk still on his lips.

"I wish for a fair fight," he declared firmly.

Then Sesshoumaru's eyes rounded incredulously when he felt Inuyasha's fist landing on his head firmly again. Laughing out loud, the hanyou said, "Yeah, when you're a little bigger, maybe."

The urge to snarl was so intense that Sesshoumaru almost choked. How dare he? He would not allow this insult to go unpunished.

"Do not patronize me!"

With that, Sesshoumaru launched himself at the hanyou.

* * *

The sun shone brightly, bathing every plant, rock, human and youkai in its warmth. There was no breeze in the air, giving an impression of stillness in the atmosphere. The only sound which broke the silence was the cheerful chirps of the birds around a quiet group of travelers.

Glowering murderously at the self-satisfied hanyou's back, Kagome trudged along the dirt path with a silent Sesshoumaru beside her.

She knew that Inuyasha had something against Sesshoumaru from all the times the adult Sesshoumaru had beaten him up but could he not see that _this_ Sesshoumaru was a child? Inuyasha could have held back, just a little bit. But no, of course he would not. The idiot really had to rip into Sesshoumaru at full strength, even though it was to knuckle the poor kid's head over and over again. It had only been her words to Sesshoumaru which prevented her from subduing Inuyasha.

She supposed that she should be thankful that Inuyasha had only given Sesshoumaru what he had often bestowed Shippou in the past. But it was obvious that Sesshoumaru did not share her sentiment. The stunned disbelief and the fury which had flashed in his golden eyes clearly showed just how insulted Sesshoumaru had felt at Inuyasha's treatment.

Glancing down at the distended lumps on Sesshoumaru's head, she wondered how he even managed to _walk_. But he was doing so with no apparent problem, head held high and stepping steadily along without a single complaint. The entire sight made her mad. She glared again at Inuyasha, almost hoping that he would combust with the strength of her glare, even though an inner voice kept telling her that Inuyasha had not really been serious during the fight.

"Don't."

Startled at the expectedness of Sesshoumaru's voice, she looked down. "Huh?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Do not blame him. I'm not injured."

Kagome's eyes widened incredulously. "Look at your head. What do you mean you're not injured?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged slightly. "I've gained knowledge. These damages are small compared to the knowledge I've acquired."

She could not believe she what she was hearing. Sesshoumaru seemed to have taken the unfair _knuckling_ as a lesson. He had fought with determination, but it was obvious he was at a disadvantage in terms of experience and strength compared to Inuyasha, who had spent most of the battle alternating between defending himself from the little claws and finding openings to bop the top of Sesshoumaru's silver head.

Frowning, she said, "Getting beaten up is not a lesson, Sesshoumaru."

"It allows me to increase my strength and tolerance, as well as study my opponent's abilities."

Exhaling loudly, she shook her head, completely at a loss of how to respond to Sesshoumaru's words.

However, this entire debacle had given her an insight on how Sesshoumaru had ended up the way he did. If he was like this as a child, he must have gotten into quite a lot of fights in the quest to improve his skills. Vaguely, she wondered if all those time the adult Sesshoumaru had beaten up Inuyasha, it was simply because he wanted Inuyasha to improve.

She shook the idea from her head. That was just stupid. From what she could remember, Sesshoumaru had almost _killed_Inuyasha many times before in the past. That could not possibly be training. It was only later that the taiyoukai developed some sense of compassion.

"Oi, wench!"

She looked up from Sesshoumaru to find that Inuyasha had stopped a short distance away, his arms crossed over his chest. He was eyeing the sword on her hip. Earlier that day, he had tried to get it back from her. Still angry at his treatment of Sesshoumaru, she had refused to give him Tetsusaiga, even though she knew that she had to give it back soon if she did not want to mess up the entire timeline even more. And once she gave it to him, it was important to remember to let Inuyasha fight the battles without interfering. If she helped him, he would not improve as fast as he had done before.

Idly, she wondered if she should just go back through the well and reset the past. But what was to guarantee that nothing else would go wrong the next time she tried? What if something more serious went wrong? At least now she had gone as far as to get the Tetsusaiga, and the centipede demon and Yura had been taken care of. Plus, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were by her side, albeit a much younger version of Sesshoumaru. All she needed to do was to teach him some compassion, and then maybe his grandmother's spell would wear off. And since this Sesshoumaru seemed to be a lot more accepting than the adult one, it should not be too hard, right?

"Give me back my sword," Inuyasha demanded, interrupting her thoughts.

She glanced down at Tetsusaiga uncertainly. If she gave Inuyasha the sword, did it mean that he would leave? Tetsusaiga was the only reason he was still there after all. Unlike before, she did not have the subjugation beads to keep him in line. But if he wanted Tetsusaiga…

"I'll make a deal with you," she finally said.

Inuyasha's eyes rounded as he uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his side. "What?! That Tetsusaiga is MINE! You heard what the Baba said!"

She felt a twinge of guilt, but she quickly pushed it down. "Well, the rules have changed a little. If I give you Tetsusaiga, you must promise to stay with us, to travel with us."

"WHAT! Hell no!"

She tapped Tetsusaiga's hilt pointedly. "Well, I guess I'll be giving this to Sesshoumaru, then," she said casually.

"He can't touch it, remember?" Inuyasha pointed out smugly.

"I cannot touch the sword?" Sesshoumaru echoed curiously.

Kagome glanced down to find Sesshoumaru eyeing Tetsusaiga speculatively. Knowing that she had to tell a little white lie to hold Inuyasha in check, she said, "You can hold Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha snorted. "Keh! That's a lie!"

"I swear I've have SEEN him holding it! And he can use it." She did not add that Sesshoumaru's hand had been burnt badly after that.

Eyes narrowing, Inuyasha asked, "When?"

Telling the truth about all this time traveling business was out of the question, not to mention it would take a good part of the day or two to explain everything fully. So she decided to sidestep the question. "I mean it, Inuyasha. I'll give it to Sesshoumaru if you don't agree to my terms. You know how much he wants Tetsusaiga, right? Do you want to take the risk?"

"I do not want the sword," Sesshoumaru declared, looking confused.

She gave him a slightly pained smile, the irony of the situation not escaping her. "It's a powerful sword, Sesshoumaru. Any youkai would be proud to wield it."

Sesshoumaru looked unconvinced.

Inuyasha's golden eyes flickered as he stared at her suspiciously. "How long do you want me to stay with you?"

Forever, she wanted to say, her heart twisting as she recalled the demise of the other Inuyasha she had known. But this Inuyasha would no doubt freak out of she said anything of that sort. She needed to settle on something more finite.

"I want us to stay together until Naraku is destroyed."

"Huh? Who is this Naraku?"

She would have explain some time, but was this was hardly the right time especially considering that Kikyo was involved? Finally deciding not to tell Inuyasha just yet, Kagome said, "Believe me, Inuyasha. He's someone you'd want to kill."

His brows furrowed. "You're not making any sense, wench."

"Inuyasha have to lead me to the Western Lands," Sesshoumaru interjected, drawing their attention.

Her eyes widened in recollection. Oh, yes, there was that as well. It might be a bit problematic. What could she say to Sesshoumaru? That what he would not see what he expected to see when he got home?

Inuyasha snorted. "The Western Lands? That's-"

Kagome quickly interjected. "Oh, that's right. Um… It's probably best that we find Naraku first, right?" She shot a pointed look at the hanyou and then hardened her voice. "Right, Inuyasha?"

"Keh!"

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Why should we find him first?"

"He's dangerous, and he must be stopped before he could do more damage," she explained rather vaguely.

"The demise of this Naraku does not interest me. I wish to return home," the miniature youkai declared imperiously.

Kagome sighed inwardly. What could she say to get him to stay? Knowing Sesshoumaru, it had to be something that would benefit him. She hated to manipulate a child like this, but she could not very well let him wander off alone. And she knew for sure that Sesshoumaru would do exactly that if he felt that there was no reason for him to stay with them.

Then it hit her.

"You know, Sesshoumaru. We'll probably encounter many other enemies along the way. It's a good way for you to… um… train, to gain more battle experience, right? Besides, we could use a helping hand and it won't take long." Way to lie, Kagome, she scolded herself. The last time she had done this, it took what? Two, three years?

Inuyasha sputtered, "What?!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly, and then the light in his eyes turned assessing. Lips pouting slightly, he appeared to be thinking it over. She could almost see the wheels in his head turning, a sight which was strangely adorable. And _adorable_ was not a word she had ever expected to associate with Sesshoumaru.

After a long while, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Only until this Naraku is defeated."

A breath of relief escaped Kagome. One down, another to go. Turning to Inuyasha, she raised a brow. "So, what do you say?"

Inuyasha gave her a contemplative look which reminded her eerily of Sesshoumaru. They were more like that she had thought. Then with a huff, the hanyou crossed his arms over his chest again.

"Fine," he finally muttered gruffly.

Kagome beamed in satisfaction.

* * *

Sesshoumaru could not comprehend the reason behind their presence inside this castle-like compound.

Yes, the human called Nobunaga with his white monkey was concerned about some hime. Yes, it could very well be true that the hime was tricked. But what had that got to do with the three of them? Why were they now standing in some dark hallway facing a sickly green toad clothed like nobility? The youki Sesshoumaru had sensed from him confirmed that the nobleman was indeed possessed by a youkai.

Still, Sesshoumaru suspected they would not be leaving until they rescued the human hime. He glanced impassively at the sniveling Nobunaga. The human was cradling the pale hime in his arms and it did not appear as if he was about to let go anytime soon. It was rather…pathetic.

"Get him, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled as she gestured towards the sneering toad.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the hand clutching his in a death grip. Kagome was surprisingly strong. She had warned him not to interfere and to let Inuyasha handle the toad. Not that he would. Chichi-ue had taught him to choose his fights wisely. And at the moment, Sesshoumaru knew that it would be foolish to do anything but watch and learn. Unlike the battle with Inuyasha, this toad was not seeking to test anyone, but to kill.

He watched as Inuyasha charged at the toad youkai, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga. Then the hanyou stopped abruptly, staring down at the blade.

"Did you break this stupid sword?" Inuyasha yelled, shaking the rusty-looking sword in the air. "It's supposed to be powerful or something, right? That's why Sesshoumaru is after it!"

"Inuyasha!"

"I do not want the sword," Sesshoumaru immediately declared. He still did not understand why they continued to insist that he wished for the sword, or the strangeness of their speech when they referred to him on occasion, as if they knew him before. Brushing it aside as an odd quirk caused by their human blood, Sesshoumaru proceeded to inform Inuyasha, "Tetsusaiga is not broken. You're simply not channeling your strength correctly."

Inuyasha cast him an incredulous look. "What the hell does that mean?"

Before he could reply, the toad youkai opened his mouth and let out a gust of toxic fume. The purple fumes spread out, filling the hallway. Sesshoumaru looked around in surprise as everyone began to cough. He, of course, was immune to the poison. However, he noticed that beside him, Kagome was not doing so well. It would be troublesome for the rest of them if she was poisoned. Dragging her down to her knees, he called forth his barrier. The golden sphere was small, but it was sufficient to cover both of them.

Her coughs abating, she eyed him with surprise. "You can form a barrier," she exclaimed.

Unsure what to make of her reaction, he simply nodded. It was one of the things that he had learnt from his father. Defense was a necessity, considering that he had not mastered his offensive skills yet, as was proven by his battle with Inuyasha a few days ago.

Spinning towards the toad, Inuyasha's eyes flashed angrily. "Your opponent is me, not them!" he snarled furiously. "Leave them alone!"

At his heated words, the sword in Inuyasha's hand suddenly pulsed. Then Sesshoumaru's sharp eyes noted the flow of energy running from Inuyasha into Tetsusaiga, transforming the rusty blade into a large fang. The familiar pulsating youki surrounding it confirmed its origin. So, their Chichi-ue had bestowed a fang to each of them. Glancing over his shoulders at the Tenseiga strapped to his back, Sesshoumaru wondered what it was capable of. It was odd that he did not recall receiving this in the past, but then again, he could not remember how he had ended up in an unfamiliar place either.

"Take this, you ugly toad!" Inuyasha shouted as he shot forward.

Another stream of poison filled the air, momentarily obscuring the visibility, causing Tetsusaiga to meet thin air. The toad youkai released a menacing laugh and grabbed the hime from Nobunaga. In a split second, the toad youkai barreled through the wall away from them with a loud crash. The smoke began to dissipate out of the hole in the wall.

Kagome gasped as Inuyasha struggled to his feet. Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed. Inuyasha should be immune as well. Unless his human blood had rejected the protection.

"Lousy stinking toad! No way is he getting away!" Inuyasha snarled viciously. With a quick glance at them, he declared, "I'm going ahead."

Inuyasha disappeared out of the hole in the wall. Deeming it safe, Sesshoumaru lowered his barrier. Kagome instantly jumped up and pulled him along, following Inuyasha's trail. They ran for a while before they reached another wooden structure with a hole in its wall. Without pause, Kagome climbed through, tugging him along with her.

They were greeted by the sight of Inuyasha fighting the toad-like nobleman. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he watched Inuyasha deliver blow after blow at the toad. Although he was a hanyou, his brother did not appear to be lacking in battle skills. Just discipline. Inuyasha's blows were erratic at best, following no set technique. Chichi-ue would be appalled if he saw this.

Still, the toad was losing, Sesshoumaru noted with interest. He must be a weak youkai then and a weakling like that should not be too difficult for an adult like Inuyasha to defeat.

Then he noticed the surrounding for the first time. He grimaced when his eyes landed on what appeared to be slime-covered eggs which contained young women within each of them. How distasteful.

"NO!" the hime protested from the side. "My Lord is still alive. Don't kill him!"

"What did I do the last time? What did I do?" Kagome muttered.

Sesshoumaru glanced up at her, wondering what she meant by 'last time'. She had encountered this demon previously?

"Perhaps if the youkai is expelled from the human body, her lord would live?" Sesshoumaru suggested.

She instantly brightened. "Exactly! I used my can of spray last time." Then she groaned dejectedly, clapping her hand her forehead. "But I don't have it with me now."

Spray can? Whatever it was that she was referring to, it was clear that she did not possess it, and thus, unable to expel the youkai from the human. Sesshoumaru glanced at the still-fighting Inuyasha. Being a hanyou, Inuyasha might not be able to summon up enough youki to do so either. Then he glanced down at his own hands, wondering if it would benefit him to join this battle. His offensive training was incomplete but perhaps he should practice. Besides, the sooner this battle concluded, the sooner they could leave.

Mind made up, he stepped forward.

"Sesshoumaru, stop!"

Ignoring Kagome, he simply concentrated on the possessed human fighting with Inuyasha. The hanyou paused to glance at him sharply.

"Oi, brat! Get away from here!" Inuyasha warned loudly.

Sesshoumaru frowned, deeming it unnecessary to reply. The hanyou had no concept of proper speech and would no doubt come forth with some crass retort. Turning to the youkai, Sesshoumaru concentrated his youki, bringing it forth to his hands. A golden flow of youki radiated from his finger, forming a long thin whip. Knowing that he would not be able to maintain it for long, Sesshoumaru streaked towards the toad youkai.

"Inuyasha, step aside," he instructed.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide, but to Sesshoumaru's surprise, he obeyed. The toad youkai switched his attention, and Sesshoumaru found himself staring into a pair of gleaming eyes. A webbed hand descended towards him, and Sesshoumaru sidestepped it easily. His opponent was too slow, he decided.

Unperturbed, the youkai advanced again, hissing a stream of poison directly at him.

"Sesshoumaru! Get back!" He heard Kagome shout, followed by Inuyasha's, "Keh! Just watch!"

Ignoring them, Sesshoumaru focused on the battle. Realizing that the poison would obscure his vision, even though it would not poison him, Sesshoumaru decided that he had to act fast. He began to spin swiftly on his toes, knowing that his body and his youki whip would displace the air, and thus, the poison.

Soon, the air was clear again. At that instant, Sesshoumaru darted forward and brought his glowing whip down with a command to expel, and not kill.

A howl of pain erupted from the youkai as the whip made contact.

Then a heavy burst of youki exploded outwards as the youkai was expelled from the human body. Due to his close proximity, the force propelled Sesshoumaru outwards. His eyes widened in alarm as he felt air rushing past him as he shot out of the building, Kagome's and Inuyasha's anxious calls growing more indistinct in his ears.

Just as he was about to crash into the grounds outside the castle, Sesshoumaru managed to summon a small cloud of youki to cushion his fall.

Then he found himself on his back, staring up at the clouds, his heart beating wildly in his chest at the realization of what had just occurred. While it was true that on occasion, he had observed his Chichi-ue's battles, he had not been personally involved in real battles in the past. All his fights had occurred in the relative safety of the training halls. He was pleased that this time, he had chosen to join in instead of just observing. This was his first true battle as a youkai, and it was… exhilarating.

Still feeling rather pleased with the experience, Sesshoumaru stood up and dismissed his cloud. A quick glance around confirmed that he was indeed just outside the castle grounds. He had not been certain of his decision to travel with Kagome and Inuyasha, and now he knew that he had made the correct choice. This would certainly aid in the improvement of his skills.

Just as he was about to walk back into the castle compound to join his traveling companions, Sesshoumaru suddenly sensed an unfamiliar presence. Tensing immediately, he spun around to face the newcomer.

Standing some distance away was a blue-haired youkai, and from what Sesshoumaru could tell, this was not an ordinary youkai. From the water-drop on his forehead, and the signature of his youki, it appeared that he was a water elemental.

"What do we have here?" the elemental mused thoughtfully as he stepped closer.

Curious, but not wishing to speak to the stranger, Sesshoumaru simply regarded the youkai silently. The slender form and the non-threatening manner were deceptive, as Sesshoumaru knew that elementals were generally strong. It would be interesting to ascertain his strength in a battle. Perhaps he would do so once he reached adulthood, for it would be impossible for him to defeat such a skillful opponent at this moment.

"Hmm… how curious. You're not a young youkai, are you?" the elemental asked contemplatively.

This time, Sesshoumaru frowned. "What do you speak of?"

"You are be-spelled," the youkai noted, his voice tinged with interest.

Be-spelled? Was that why he could not remember what had brought him away from the Western Lands? Still, what the elemental said about him being not a young youkai did not make sense. Perhaps Inuyasha or Kagome would know.

"Sesshoumaru! Where are you?!"

"He's close by, wench! I can smell him. Oi, Sesshoumaru, get back here!"

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulders in the direction of Inuyasha's voice. When he turned back round, the elemental was giving him an astonished look. Why was he so surprised? Did the elemental recognize his name? Why was the elemental there in any case?

"Sesshoumaru, hmm?" A small smile flitted across the elemental's lips. "Perhaps we will meet again in the future." There was a hint of challenge in his tone.

Meeting the elemental's blue eyes unflinchingly, Sesshoumaru inclined his head.

"Hn."

* * *

A/N: There! No cliffhanger this time (grins). Hope this chapter entertained you, and if you can, please review. Thanks!

:elle6778:


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing so far! Um… (Looks away guiltily) I know this chapter is very late, but believe me, I've tried to get it out sooner. My Inuyasha muse had decided to go on hiatus, I think, so it was quite hard for me to get the words out for this chapter. I fear that this might happen for the next chapter as well, and I apologize in advance. Anyway, Chapter 8 here now - one of the longer chapters, and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

* * *

**A Latent Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 8**

Three weeks had passed since Sesshoumaru became a part of their traveling group. It took some time, but they had finally managed to settle into some sort of routine. One by one, she steered them from one place to another, all the while trying hard to remember the order in which she had encountered friends and foes in the past.

Still, it was rather difficult because with the Shikon jewel still intact within her. Therefore, it was inevitable that she could not find most of the demons they had encountered before. Instead, they encountered different demons who seemed bent on creating problems for them. She supposed she could not complain, because in one of those battles, Inuyasha had finally discovered the Kaze-no-Kizu.

Kagome frowned worriedly. If she remembered correctly, she should be meeting Shippou just about now. But how was she to do so when neither Hiten nor Manten had the jewel shards? Which probably meant that Shippou's father was still well and alive. Which meant that Shippou would not be running around looking for ways to strengthen himself to avenge his father.

Talk about strengthening, ever since their first 'battle', Sesshoumaru had persisted in engaging Inuyasha in one form of battle or another. Sometimes Inuyasha humored him by actually fighting, but the rest of the time, the hanyou simply bopped Sesshoumaru on the head. What surprised her most, though, was that for the last few days, Inuyasha had stopped bullying Sesshoumaru. She could have sworn that the last time he had done so, he seemed almost ashamed afterwards. So he should be.

Kagome glanced down at the serious-looking child beside her. His presence was strangely calming. The atmosphere this time round was completely different from the last time she had traveled in the past. Also, Inuyasha seemed to be a little less crass, even though sometimes his mouth could still be as foul as ever. She finally decided that the change was due to Sesshoumaru's influence.

She had not expected this. But so many unexpected things had happened so far, so she really should not be that surprised. It was an understatement to say that she had been impressed by Sesshoumaru's calm manner of dealing with things during their fights over the last few weeks, not that she should have expected any less from someone like him. But still, it was quite amazing to see how Sesshoumaru had been before he turned into the cold-hearted assassin.

A small frown crossed her brows at the thought. What could have happened to cause that? It was hard to believe that this child would grow up to be so cold. If she had to guess, she would say that his father and grandmother had nothing to do with it. Which left only one other source of influence. His mother.

Deciding that she should take the opportunity to find out more about him, she asked, "Ne, Sesshoumaru? Do you miss your mother?"

His steps faltered slightly as he glanced up at her. Then his brows furrowed. "Haha-ue? She must be wondering where I am."

That was not what she asked. Determined to find out more, she pressed on, "Yes, she must be really worried by now. You've been gone for weeks."

His eyes remained fixed to some point in the distance. "She would be concerned that someone might have taken me for leverage against the Western Lands." His tone was matter-of-fact, displaying no emotion. "Perhaps I should send her a message."

Kagome blinked. If he tried to send a message now, his mother might really get it, seeing that she was actually still alive out there somewhere. She wondered what would happen after that?

"Keh! It won't take long for us to hunt down this Naraku and then you can go, alright," Inuyasha remarked gruffly.

She glanced over Sesshoumaru's head at the hanyou, silently thanking him. A few weeks ago, she had finally found some quiet time to talk to Inuyasha while Sesshoumaru was bathing. It was then that she made Inuyasha agree to keep the events in the tomb a secret, because who knew what Sesshoumaru would do if he found out? Especially since Sesshoumaru had been asking some odd questions lately.

"Kagome?"

She glanced down at the small form. "What is it, Sesshoumaru?"

"I detect the kitsune's scent."

Kagome gasped, her eyes widening. Could it be Shippou? "Where?" she asked urgently.

Sesshoumaru inclined his head towards the east. "A fair distance in that direction."

"Keh! I still don't understand why you want to find some measly kitsune."

She glanced sharply at the scowling hanyou. "It's important to me, alright! Shippou might be in danger right at this moment. He's probably alone and he's just a small kit and someone needs to take care of him."

"Why is he alone?" Sesshoumaru asked curiously.

"Because his father might be-" Kagome broke off, blinking when she realized what she had almost said. She was sure that it was not a good idea to say more on the topic until she knew exactly what was going on with Shippou.

Inuyasha snorted. "I thought if he's all alone, you would have picked him up and coddled him the way you do to Sesshoumaru here."

Kagome bristled indignantly. The idea was ridiculous. "I do not coddle Sesshoumaru."

"She does not coddle me," Sesshoumaru inserted, looking affronted.

Inuyasha raised a brow. "So, you haven't answered me. Why isn't this Shippou with you?"

Kagome sighed. "Look, he probably doesn't know who I am, alright. Some distant relatives of him told me that he might need help," she fabricated. "Look, let's not waste time. The faster we do this, the faster we'll get to Naraku."

"What has this got to do with Naraku?" Inuyasha asked.

Groaning in exasperation, Kagome reached out to grab Inuyasha's ear. Ignoring his indignant snarl, she snapped, "Can't you just trust me on this?!"

"Let me go, damn it!" Inuyasha shouted, pulling away from her. "Fine! I'll go!"

Kagome huffed. Dealing with Inuyasha now was so different from dealing with Inuyasha after mellowing him down for three years. But at least this time he seemed more willing to listen to her than the last time. She supposed she should not be too surprised. When they had met in the previous version of the past, she was dependent on Inuyasha to protect her all the times seeing that she had no battle skills. But this time round, although he still tried to protect her at times, it was clear that she did not need it. Still, she was rather touched by the familiarity of the gesture.

"Shall we depart?" Sesshoumaru broke into her thoughts.

Smiling at his barely suppressed eagerness to leave, Kagome nodded. "Lead the way, Sesshoumaru."

* * *

Sesshoumaru's nose twitched as he tilted his head up to catch the correct scent. Once he found it, he immediately darted between the trees towards his target. His blood sang as he sped forward, relishing the joy of the hunt. This was something familiar to him, for his Chichi-ue had often brought him along during his hunting trips.

"Sesshoumaru! Slow down, damn it! The wench can't keep up."

Sesshoumaru halted abruptly, and then glanced over his shoulders. He was so intent upon his target that he had all but forgotten about the rest of his traveling companions. Or rather, he had forgotten that neither of them were full-blooded youkai, and therefore not capable of his level of speed. How he could have forgotten this very obvious fact was beyond him.

When they arrived by his side, Sesshoumaru's eyes went to the panting girl before turning to Inuyasha. "Perhaps you should assist her. It would be more efficient."

Inuyasha's features displayed his confusion. "Huh?"

"I think…" Kagome gulped in some air before she continued, "Sesshoumaru means that you should carry me."

Eyes bulging with incredulity, Inuyasha exclaimed, "What?!"

"It is only sensible, if we wish to catch up with the kitsune. I can sense them moving away right this instant," Sesshoumaru pointed out, his eyes flicking in the direction of his target while attempting to hide his impatience.

A sound of exasperation escaped Kagome amidst Inuyasha's protests. "Inuyasha, what's the big deal? Does the idea of carrying me really bother you that much?" she asked edgily.

"But…" Pausing briefly, the hanyou glanced away and then back. Finally a resigned huff of breath left him. "Fine, jump on," he muttered gruffly, presenting Kagome his back as he crouched down.

The human girl mounted his brother with a surprising familiarity. For a moment, Sesshoumaru wondered if she had done this before, until he recalled Inuyasha's protests. But now that everyone was prepared, it was time to resume the chase.

With that thought, Sesshoumaru sprung forward again.

They traveled for a while longer before they reached a rocky area. Unlike the previous places, this one was barren of lush trees. Instead, all Sesshoumaru could see were rocks of all shapes and sizes decorating the landscape. The chill in the air permeated his skin, and Sesshoumaru steeled himself against the cold before he swept his eyes over the area. Lips pressed tightly at what his senses were telling him, Sesshoumaru turned to his companions.

"They have left."

Kagome's lips parted, and her light in eyes instantly dimmed. "They?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Two kitsune youkai." Now that he was this close, he was able to discern their characteristics with more accuracy. "One adult and one kit."

"You mean you dragged us all the way to tell us that those kitsune youkai are gone?!" Inuyasha sputtered, panting slightly as he dropped Kagome from his back. "Why the hell can't you track them again?"

Sesshoumaru grimaced. Could Inuyasha not sense it? "I'm unable to do so because they took to the air." Glancing around, he added, "Their victims are still here."

This time Kagome gasped. "Victims? They were in a fight??"

Nodding, Sesshoumaru gestured towards the north. "Their victims are still unconscious."

"Let's go," Kagome urged.

"What? Hey, wench! I thought you wanted to go after the kitsune. So what's this with their victims?"

Knowing that they would remain there arguing if he did not do anything about it, Sesshoumaru interjected, "I'll lead you to them."

With that, he streaked forward, weaving between the rocks. He did not stop until he reached an area bounded by a tall, circular formation of boulders. As he expected, there were two unconscious youkai on their backs in the middle of the area. From what he could tell from the shattered rocks and the burnt ground, the battle had been furious, resulting in victory for the kitsune.

It was not long before Inuyasha and Kagome joined him. Glancing at her, Sesshoumaru took note of the shock crossing her features before the expression was replaced by resignation. How odd, he thought. He wondered what was going through her mind.

"Well, I guess since Shippou is well and with his father, I don't need to worry about him."

At that, Sesshoumaru cast her an odd look. "Why would you be worried about a kitsune who doesn't even know you exist?"

"Because if he's alone, someone has to protect him."

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed. His grandmother had always said the same words to him. If one was weak, they would be unable to protect themselves, hence they required a stronger one to protect them, to shield them from harm. She also said that by protecting the weak, one would become even stronger. Also, with no one to protect them, the weak would be extinguished, leaving only the strong ones.

What would happen then? According to his mother, if one was weak, one deserved such a fate. Depending on the strong for protection would only weaken them further, and there was no benefit in aiding such helpless creatures.

Those conflicting ideas confused him. Once he had asked his father about this. The taiyoukai had simply given him an odd smile before telling him that one day he would see the difference, and would choose the correct path.

Thinking back to the last few weeks made Sesshoumaru realize one thing. That for all his brashness and uncouth manner, Inuyasha had done his best to protect both of them. And from this most recent encounter, it was obvious that Kagome took the same view about protecting the weak.

Both of them had chosen the first path.

* * *

It was a good thing that Shippou and his father survived the fight with Hiten and Manten this time round. She guessed it was to be expected, seeing that this time, Hiten and Manten did not have the additional strength from the Shikon shards.

Kagome glanced away from the two unconscious brothers with a bittersweet feeling. She wished that she could have at least seen Shippou. She missed the little kitsune, but she knew that this time, Shippou was right where he belonged by his father's side.

A small smile crossed her lips. As it should be all along. Perhaps in changing the past this time, better things would happen. Perhaps the Shikon jewel was never meant to be shattered like it had done the first time round.

She took a deep breath and turned to her waiting companions. Inuyasha was staring off in the distance, a scowl firmly planted on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. He was obviously not happy about the situation. In fact, it occurred to her then to question why he was staying. Even though he had given his word to help defeat Naraku, Inuyasha could easily disappear on her. After all, as far as the hanyou was concerned, he barely knew her. And yet, he stayed.

Her attention shifted to the smaller of the brothers, watching as Sesshoumaru knelt down to peer at Hiten intently. She wondered if Sesshoumaru was the reason for Inuyasha's presence. Under that brash façade, perhaps Inuyasha longed for the closeness of his only brother. Like the way Shippou remained by his father's side, perhaps this version of the past would see Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru getting closer. It was already happening, she noted as she saw Inuyasha walking towards his brother.

"Oi, brat! Stop poking them. You'll probably wake them up."

Sesshoumaru stood up. "I'm not touching them."

Inuyasha frowned at him. "Keh! But if they wake up, don't expect me to defend you."

"I can protect myself."

"You're still losing to me," Inuyasha pointed out, a smug expression creeping over his face.

"Then perhaps you should do your duty," Sesshoumaru responded immediately, his expression giving away nothing.

Inuyasha blinked. "Uh?"

"As the elder sibling, it is your duty to ensure that I am adequately trained," Sesshoumaru remarked blandly.

"E-Elder sibling?" Inuyasha sputtered. His shock was evident as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. He continued to stare at Sesshoumaru with a bewildered look, as if he had not seen him before. Then an odd expression came over him, something which looked like realization.

Kagome held her breath. What was Inuyasha thinking?

The hanyou straightened visibly, and then asked in a cautious voice, "You're asking me to train you?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head, wearing a puzzled expression. "Is that not what you were doing over the last few weeks?"

Inuyasha fell silent for a while, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. Then he smirked. "Feh, you call that training? I'll show you real training one day."

Eyes gleaming in anticipation, but obviously trying to suppress his excitement, Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "In that case, I look forward to it."

Kagome smiled, realizing that this was how they should be as brothers instead of trying to kill each other. Yeah, maybe returning here to re-live everything was not such a bad thing after all is she managed to fix Inuyasha's and Sesshoumaru's relationship. After all, from the looks of it, they had the potential of being civil together.

"Oi! What are we still standing here for?"

Jolted out of her thoughts, Kagome rolled her eyes. Perhaps it was too much, asking Inuyasha to be civil. Nodding at her companions, Kagome clapped her hands together energetically.

"Well, let's move on then. We've got work to do!"

* * *

For the third night in a row, Sesshoumaru found himself alone just outside a small human village. Seated on a wide tree-branch overlooking the small shrine, he swept his eyes over the area once again. Carefully observing what his father had taught him, he expanded his senses, memorizing every little thing around him. It had to be done so that he would immediately detect intruders.

Such thoughts reminded him that he had been away from home for close to two cycles of the moon. Idly, he wondered why he had no inclination to return. His training with his father was not yet complete, and to leave the nest at such a young age without the benefit of those training was foolish.

And yet, a small voice in his mind pointed out that what he was doing now was as good as training. This time, what he was doing was real, instead of sitting in the library, perusing scrolls after scrolls of techniques. Besides, after losing the scent of the kitsune about five weeks ago, Inuyasha had finally taken his duty seriously and had begun to train him. The so-called training had been rather haphazard at best, but Sesshoumaru could see the improvement in himself.

It occurred to Sesshoumaru then that this was perhaps the longest stretch of time he had spent in the company of others. Usually, his father would be absent from their abode, carrying out his duties as the Lord of the Western Lands, while his mother tended to her affairs. Sesshoumaru frowned when he realized that he did not know what his mother did most days. There were of course servants present in their home, but fraternizing with servants was unseemly.

The sound of familiar voices reached him then, breaking his train of thought. Sesshoumaru frowned, recalling how Kagome had instructed him to keep this task a secret from Inuyasha. Then why was the human girl leading the hanyou to his location?

His question was answered when the voices became clearer.

"Damn it, Kagome! This is the third time he's disappeared off."

"I told you he's alright! He came back fine the last two nights, didn't he? Besides, with all that training over the last one month, Sesshoumaru can definitely take care of himself."

"Then why the hell are you stopping me from finding him?"

"Inuyasha, stop or you'll regret this!"

"What? You're going to stone me again?" Inuyasha shot back belligerently.

"If not worse!" she threatened.

It was then that Inuyasha came into his sight. Glancing up immediately, Inuyasha yelled, "Get down, Sesshoumaru!"

Deciding that it was more bothersome to refuse, Sesshoumaru leapt off the branch to land before his brother. Glancing up, he found Inuyasha frowning at him questioningly.

"Now, you want to tell me what the hell are you doing here?"

"I have a task to complete."

Inuyasha cast Kagome a suspicious look. "Is this something you asked him to do?"

She simply sighed heavily.

Turning back to him, Inuyasha asked, "So what is this task?"

Without a word, Sesshoumaru pointed at the tombstone. It was pointless to hide it now, for Inuyasha would surely find out sooner or later. Clapping her hands to her face, Kagome groaned out loud as Inuyasha walked curiously towards the tombstone.

Then Inuyasha's eyes rounded in disbelief.

"Kikyo…"

A tense silence followed before Inuyasha spun towards Kagome, his eyes flashing with a mix of pain and anger. "You knew who Kikyo is? Why didn't you tell me about this?!" he snarled.

Kagome let out an exasperated sound. "Because I know you'll react like this!"

"How the hell could you have known that?"

She pointed at him. "Look at yourself now. You're practically shaking."

"I'm not shaking!" Inuyasha glared at her for a moment. When he next spoke, his voice was strained. "When did she die?"

Kagome's eyes flickered. "About fifty years ago, right after she sealed you to the tree."

"WHAT? That can't be right!"

A resigned sigh escaped Kagome. "Just accept it, alright. You were sealed to that tree for about fifty years."

Sesshoumaru blinked. Inuyasha was much older than him then. Now he understood why he did not know about Inuyasha until recently.

"How do you know all this? You weren't even born yet at that time," Inuyasha pointed out heatedly.

Turning his attention to the human, Sesshoumaru wondered curiously how she would respond. He wished to know how Kagome seemed to know so many things as well.

"I know a lot of things, and I can't explain why," she replied tightly. "But now that we're here, there's something you should know."

Inuyasha sneered. "Yeah! What else have you been hiding from us?"

She faced him unflinchingly. "Kikyo never betrayed you."

A choked sound came from Inuyasha. "I don't believe you. She tried to kill me-"

"Hear me out, alright?" Kagome interjected impatiently. Then she took a deep breath before continuing, "I know that you were about to use the Shikon-no-tama to become fully human. It was what Kikyo wanted after all, to live with you, a normal man with a normal woman."

Eyes widening, Sesshoumaru darted a look at Inuyasha. Why would his brother wish to do such a thing? To give up his heritage for a human?

"H-How…" Inuyasha faltered into silence.

Grimacing, Kagome continued, "It didn't quite work out that way, though. Both you and Kikyo were manipulated into thinking that you betrayed each other. Kikyo was waiting for you when someone who pretended to be you attacked her. After leaving her injured, he told her that he was after the Shikon-no-tama. The same thing happened to you, didn't it, Inuyasha? You ended up attacking the village thinking that she tricked you. But that was not the real Kikyo. The real Kikyo was the one who chased you down to the Goshinboku, thinking that you betrayed her."

Inuyasha looked lost. "I… I don't… I don't get it."

Kagome averted her eyes. "The reason we're here is because Urasue, a dark witch, is planning to steal Kikyo's ashes to revive her. I'm just trying to stop it from happening. Kikyo should not be disturbed."

Inuyasha stared at her disbelievingly, but Sesshoumaru knew that she was telling the truth. His senses were keen enough to detect the changes in a person's form if one was lying. He knew that Kagome had told them half-truths at times, without any hint of malice in her action. It was almost as if she was trying to protect them from the whole truth. But this time, Sesshoumaru was certain that she was speaking the whole truth.

"She is not lying, Inuyasha," he remarked quietly. "I can sense it."

Inuyasha glanced sharply at him before turning his flashing golden eyes towards Kagome. This time, the anger in those orbs was more evident. "Who did it?" he hissed.

Kagome's voice was steady when she replied, "Naraku."

Eyes narrowing, Inuyasha asked, "Why?"

"He wants everything for himself, including Kikyo and the Shikon-no-tama."

Inuyasha's hands clenched into tight fists as his eyes lowered to his feet. His shoulders trembling with barely suppressed rage, he ground out vehemently, "The bastard. The BASTARD!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome ventured cautiously, her brows furrowing.

"Where the hell is the bastard?! I'LL KILL HIM!" Inuyasha shouted as his youki pulsed around him erratically.

Sesshoumaru was rather concerned to see Inuyasha in such a state. In the last two months, Inuyasha had displayed many things, but none of it was this overwhelming rage. This Kikyo must be truly important to the hanyou, for Inuyasha to react in such a manner. To charge into battle in such a state was foolish. Perhaps this was why his mother had often told him to keep his emotions at bay, for it would weaken him.

"Do not enter battle in such a way. Your emotions will make you careless," Sesshoumaru pointed out quietly.

"Believe me when I say that Naraku will pay for this," Inuyasha ground out, determination lacing every words.

Sesshoumaru studied his brother. As foolish as his reaction was, Inuyasha did not appear weakened at all. In fact, from what Sesshoumaru could tell, his brother's youki was swirling stronger now. Was his mother wrong then?

Before he could come to a satisfactory conclusion, a subtle noise from the air caught his attention. Spinning towards Inuyasha and Kagome, he held up a warning hand. Their loud argument would compromise their position.

"Be quiet. I believe our target is approaching."

Sesshoumaru continued to watch the sky, noting absently that Inuyasha and Kagome were now standing beside him. Soon enough, his eyes landed on a figure flying through the sky. It was an old wrinkled witch, as Kagome had said.

Unfortunately for them, the witch Urasue's eyesight was keen enough to spot them. Almost immediately, she swung around and flew away in the opposite direction. Sesshoumaru was instantly displeased.

Without taking his eyes off their target, Sesshoumaru asked calmly, "Do we pursue?"

"Yes, we will have to destroy her, or else she will just come back another day."

"What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Very well."

* * *

Kagome eyed what she could see of Inuyasha's cheek, their conversation earlier playing through her mind. The hanyou had been silent ever since they left Kikyo's tombstone. His muscles bunched in front of her body with each leap he took, and with each movement, she could feel just how tense he was. She did not mean to drop it on him like that, but she supposed it had to be done sooner or later. In fact, he had taken it far better than she had expected.

With Inuyasha carrying her, streaking through the forest, and Sesshoumaru giving chase in the air, they caught up with Urasue in no time. Only for Kagome to gasp out loud when she realized where exactly they had ended up in. Her eyes landed on the gigantic figure of the sleeping dragon youkai, wincing slightly when she spotted the mask adorning his head. There was no mistaking it.

If her earlier blunders were bad, then what should she call this?

Fate seemed to insist on interfering with the original sequence of events. How could they have ended up in Ryukotsusei's Valley? This was not good. They were not meant to get here until months later. If Ryukotsusei awakened, it meant that they had to fight him. Inuyasha had not had enough time to get all his battle experiences. Not to mention he had not even mastered Kaze-no-Kizu properly yet.

"Get back here and fight, you wrinkled old crone!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome began nervously.

"What?"

"That's Ryukotsusei," Sesshoumaru supplied. "He is father's enemy, though I do not understand why he's sealed."

Realizing that she had all but forgotten about Sesshoumaru's role in all this, Kagome gulped. In his state, Sesshoumaru would not know that his father had died from the wounds inflicted by Ryukotsusei. What would he do if Ryukotsusei let out the truth?

Perched on a rock next to the sleeping dragon, Urasue laughed. "Oh, look at what we have here. What a fortunate coincidence." She took a step closer to the sealed giant dragon youkai. "Now let us see how you deal with this distraction, huh?"

Kagome watched in horror as the seal embedded in Ryukotsusei's chest began to disintegrate under Urasue's hands. No, this could not be happening.

A loud rumble coursed through the air, and the tension increased as pulses of youki fanned out from the dragon youkai. The entire atmosphere dimmed as dark clouds sailed across the sky while Urasue's maniacal cackle rang loud and clear amidst the commotion.

Ryukotsusei's body began to tremble with life and then both pairs of his eyes snapped open.

Realizing that it was far too late to turn back now, Kagome steeled her resolve and spun around towards Inuyasha. Clenching her hand in the red fire-rat fabric of his sleeve, she called out urgently, "Inuyasha."

"What, wench?" he hissed, his worried eyes trained on Ryukotsusei.

She swallowed hard. How was she supposed to explain this? Last time, it was Totousai who had done the explaining. "Um… Inuyasha. That's Ryukotsusei. You know that if you defeat him, you'll learn a new technique for Tetsusaiga?"

He snapped around, casting her an incredulous look. "What? What the hell do you mean?"

"Listen to me, Inuyasha. This is important!" She took a deep breath before she continued, "An attack called Bakuryuuha is formed when you coil up another youkai's power with the Kaze-no-Kizu. The two tangled-up powers will turn into a whirlpool and bounce back on the enemy. Meaning that your enemy will be counter attacked by their own youki and the power of Tetsusaiga combined."

The look Inuyasha cast her was nothing short of confused.

"Do you understand what I just said?" she snapped impatiently.

Sesshoumaru's brow furrowed. "Such an attack must be powerful."

Turning his eyes back to Ryukotsusei, Inuyasha snorted. "I'm going to kill him anyway, new attack or not."

Groaning, Kagome closed her eyes to calm herself. When she opened it again, she warned, "He's very strong."

"Keh! I'll show him who's stronger!"

Clamping down on the urge to strangle the clueless hanyou, Kagome glared at his side-profile.

"Watch," Sesshoumaru suddenly said, pointing to one side of the dragon across the valley.

Across the valley, Urasue was facing Ryukotsusei without any fear. "I released you, so you now indebted to me," the witch declared.

A rumble sounded from Ryukotsusei. "What nonsense do you speak of, witch?"

Urasue pointed at them, and Kagome immediately tensed. Then the witch turned back to the dragon. "I freed you from your seal, so it's time for you to pay your debt. Kill them."

"What insolence," the dragon growled. "You dare disrespect me so?"

With a swipe, Urasue was impaled on the dragon youkai's claws. Blood spurted out of the wound, dripping to the ground. Kagome watched, horrified, as the old witch's eyes widened in alarm just before she disappeared down Ryukotsusei's throat. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Kagome gripped her bow securely.

Then the dragon youkai turned to them.

"You!" Ryukotsusei growled, his eyes pinned upon Sesshoumaru, lighting up in recognition. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Sesshoumaru stared at him intently, but said nothing.

"The two of you are spawns of Inu-no-Taishou. Where is he?!"

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to speak, but Inuyasha beat him to it. "Keh! You talk too much!"

With that, Inuyasha streaked towards Ryukotsusei.

In moments, they were engaged in a furious battle. Although he started off well, blasting Ryukotsusei with his Kaze-no-Kizu attack, it was clear that Inuyasha was nowhere near prepared for the dragon youkai's strength. But in the usual Inuyasha fashion, the hanyou did not give up. So they carried on, with Inuyasha trying with growing desperation to find an opening to attack while Ryukotsusei seemingly toying with the hanyou.

Kagome hands gripped her bow tighter as she continued to watch. She would not interfere, even if she was sorely tempted to do so. Inuyasha had to kill Ryukotsusei otherwise he would never achieve the Bakuryuuha. And without Bakuryuuha and the rest of Tetsusaiga's powers, they would not stand a chance against the sneaky Naraku. She must have faith that her hanyou friend would be able to pull this off, even though Inuyasha was obviously having a hard time.

"He's having trouble."

She glanced sideways to find Sesshoumaru frowning at the sight of Inuyasha being tossed around by the giant dragon's blast.

"Inuyasha can handle it," she said, trying to sound confident, even though she was rather uncertain about it. Unless he managed to get Bakuryuuha right, she knew that it would be almost impossible to defeat this particular enemy.

"Hn." He paused momentarily before he moved from her side. "It will even the odds if both of us are fighting."

When she realized what he intended to do, Kagome quickly said, "Let Inuyasha handle this."

Gaze still fixed to the battle, Sesshoumaru showed no signs of hearing her. His expression was thoughtful when he murmured, "I understand now. One has to be strong to protect another, and thus, the will to protect is necessary to make one stronger."

Reaching out, she tried to grab him as she called out urgently, "Stop, Sesshoumaru! It's too dangerous!"

Slipping away easily, Sesshoumaru said over his shoulders, "If I'm successful in protecting Inuyasha, it means that I have surpassed him."

"What?" As his words sank in, Kagome felt her blood run cold. He wanted to protect Inuyasha from Ryukotsusei in order to strengthen himself, but in doing so, he would probably get himself killed.

"No! This is not the time to think like that, Sesshoumaru!" she shouted frantically.

Her voice caught Inuyasha's attention, making the hanyou snap towards them. His eyes widened when he saw the small youkai's approach. "Sesshoumaru! Get out of the way, damn it!" Inuyasha yelled.

Completely disregarding Inuyasha's words, Sesshoumaru zipped towards him, his face set in a determined expression. Before he could reach towards his brother, the dragon youkai swung its tail, tripping Inuyasha. With a growl, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga to block another blow from the dragon youkai. Springing to his feet, the hanyou swung Tetsusaiga again. Ryukotsusei hissed as the blade made contact with his body.

Seeing the opportunity, Sesshoumaru darted forward, his youki whip already spinning swiftly around him. Before the dragon youkai realized what was coming, Sesshoumaru snapped the whip forward, carving a smoking line down Ryukotsusei's back. Like the rest of Inuyasha's attacks, Sesshoumaru's attack only grazed the surface of Ryukotsusei's impenetrable skin. But it was enough to draw his attention away from Inuyasha.

Kagome watched in horror as Ryukotsusei spun around, his red eyes flashing as he began to snap at Sesshoumaru in an attempt to bite him. The adult Sesshoumaru would probably find this an easy battle, but the child Sesshoumaru was a different issue. There was no way she could stop herself from interfering now.

She brought her shimmering blue bow up and drew an arrow, aiming it at the dragon youkai.

"Hey, you ugly dragon! Look over here!" Kagome yelled, desperately hoping that the youkai would leave Sesshoumaru alone.

When he made no move to acknowledge her words, Kagome gritted her teeth and released the arrow. The glowing arrow sliced through the air, heading straight for the dragon.

A furious roar escaped from Ryukotsusei when the arrow pierced his back, burning a hole, sending a cloud of black smoke into the air. Snarling, the dragon youkai spun towards her as he reached back to yank out the arrow, his hand sizzling at the contact.

Kagome's eyes widened in alarm as he launched himself towards her. Nerves made her fumble as she tried to retrieve another arrow.

A streak of red flashed between her and Ryukotsusei.

"Pick on someone your own size, Ryukotsusei! Leave Kagome and Sesshoumaru alone!" Inuyasha shouted.

With that, he raised Tetsusaiga. To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha seemed to be concentrating a little bit more than usual. Which meant that he was actually attempting to develop the Bakuryuuha. The wind swirled around the fang, growing stronger by the second before he released it. The attack connected with Ryukotsusei, but it was clear that it was not effective.

"What the hell!" Inuyasha gritted out. "It's not working!"

Kagome almost groaned when she realized that the Bakuryuuha was still nowhere in sight. "You need to wait for the right moment to coil up his youki with the Tetsusaiga! There's a specific spot you need to find."

"I'm trying, alright!"

"You insolent brat!" the dragon youkai snarled.

Ryukotsusei made a move towards Inuyasha, only to halt suddenly. With a hiss, he spun and jerked around. Kagome's apprehension grew when she saw that Sesshoumaru had latched onto Ryukotsusei back, digging his poisonous claws into the wound from her arrow. It was clear that Sesshoumaru had thought things out, and decided to attack the dragon's weakest point. She felt inordinately proud of him, but that did not stop her heart from pounding in concern when Ryukotsusei grew angrier by the second when Sesshoumaru refused to release his hold.

Inuyasha smirked as he readied Tetsusaiga again. "Sesshoumaru, get off him once you're done. This time I'll get him with this Bakuryuuha for sure."

Unfortunately, at the very moment, Ryukotsusei managed to throw Sesshoumaru off. The silver-haired youkai hit the ground, and immediately rolled to soften the impact before he stood up, seemingly unharmed. Without pause, Sesshoumaru charged straight back right at Ryukotsusei.

"Foolish brat!" Ryukotsusei snarled as he swiped at Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.

Frantic with worry now, Kagome readied an arrow. From what she could tell, her arrow was the only thing so far which could pierce the dragon's skin. She had to end this before either of them got seriously hurt. Inuyasha could gain Bakuryuuha another time. After all, the whole timeline was messed up anyway, so who was to say that he could not do it during another battle?

Eyes following the dragon's movements, Kagome tried to find an opening. Then she released a hiss of frustration when she realized that with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha streaking around Ryukotsusei like that, she could not safely release her arrow.

Then she saw it. Her lips parted as her breath left her when she saw what Ryukotsusei was intending to do. She recognized the signs from last time. Ryukotsusei was preparing for his ultimate attack.

"Inuyasha! Sesshoumaru! Get out of the way!" she yelled loudly. "He's going to attack!"

Two pairs of golden eyes snapped briefly towards her, but instead of running, they simply took on a defensive stance. Kagome's eyes widened in horror when Ryukotsusei reared back.

"NO!" she screamed just as she released her arrow.

But she was a second too late.

Before her arrow connected with Ryukotsusei, a thundering sound cracked through the air and a giant white ball of explosive energy shot out from the dragon's mouth. A loud cry pierced the air as the attack connected with Sesshoumaru, sending the small youkai flying through the air, even as Ryukotsusei stumbled backwards from the force of her arrow.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called out frantically as she ran towards the unmoving white form. He was so far away. A burning sensation pricked her eyelids, and she bit her lips to hold back her tears of panic. She had to get to him.

"Damn it!" Enraged, Inuyasha charged towards the dragon with Tetsusaiga raised. "I told you to LEAVE THEM ALONE!" he snarled.

Keeping her eyes trained on Sesshoumaru's form as she rushed towards him, Kagome did not fail to notice that the wind around them had picked up. The familiarity of the sensation was comforting, and she knew that at the moment, Tetsusaiga was taking control of Ryukotsusei's youki, mixing it with its own. Absently, Kagome realized that against all odds, Inuyasha had managed to gain the Bakuryuuha.

The blast which followed shortly afterwards shook the earth.

A roar of agony reached her ears, making Kagome wince, but she continued to run, her heart beating so fast that it was threatening to burst out of her ribcage.

Ryukotsusei's body shattered into pieces behind her as she finally reached Sesshoumaru.

When she fell to her knees beside Sesshoumaru's small body, Inuyasha ran towards them from the opposite direction. Sesshoumaru's white kimono was completely splattered with blood. His blood. He was so still. The tears she had been holding back began to run down her cheeks.

"Sesshoumaru," she choked out softly, her hands cupping his cheeks. "Please… Wake up."

His eyes fluttered open weakly as he dragged in a shuddering breath. Golden orbs glazed with pain locked onto her. Kagome bit her lips to stop her sobs, not realizing how hard she had bitten until she tasted her own blood.

"Kagome…" he whispered. His eyes wandered until they landed on his brother. "Inuyasha?"

"Shh…Don't talk. You'll be okay…" she soothed, stroking her fingers down the magenta stripes on his cheeks.

"You are safe," Sesshoumaru remarked weakly.

"Of course she is. You protected her," Inuyasha said gruffly, but there was no mistaking the concern in his eyes.

Kagome nodded and gave Sesshoumaru a watery smile as she squeezed his small hand. "You did very well. Thank you for protecting me. Now, you got to get better, okay?"

"It hurts…" Sesshoumaru breathed out.

His grip suddenly tightened. Kagome's eyes shot open in alarm as he dragged in a ragged breath. This could not be happening. Sesshoumaru was not supposed to die on them. He was supposed to be this strong invincible taiyoukai.

"No! Sesshoumaru!" she yelled frantically.

Then the grip on her hands went slack.

"S-Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha cried out in a choked voice as Kagome's chest twisted painfully.

Sesshoumaru's small, lifeless body began to glow and then, right before their eyes, he disintegrated in a flash of light. Kagome trembled uncontrollably at the sight of the empty spot where Sesshoumaru had lain just seconds ago. This could not be happening.

"No… NO!!!"

* * *

A/N: (shifts nervously under all the glares) Um… yes. That's all for this chapter. Hope you'll leave me a review to let me know what you think, though I think I should be running away just about now… 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

* * *

**A Latent**** Destiny by elle6778 – Chapter 9**

The subtle rustle of leaves in the rising wind was enough to stir Sesshoumaru from unconsciousness, causing his eyes to snap open in an instant. As his long hair whipped around him, his gaze shifted around to find himself in a small clearing surrounded by large trees.

He made a move to get up and then promptly winced as a burning pain shot through his entire body. Biting back a groan, he looked down at himself. To his puzzlement, he found his white clothes completely soaked in blood.

His eyes narrowed at the rare, and yet unmistakable scent.

_His_ blood.

He was obviously injured. But how? Who was strong enough to wound him in such a manner? What could have caused this abnormality?

Then it hit him.

It began as a trickle. His father's tomb and the fight within, a flash of laughing brown eyes, the imagery of him seated by a campfire with the miko and his hanyou brother, a smirking Inuyasha's fist descending upon his head and the fights with all manner of demons.

Sesshoumaru remained stock still as the memories continued to flood his mind until he reached his so-called death, his body burning at the recollection of the pain he had suffered from _protecting_ a human wench.

Then he reacted.

Snarling in outrage, he staggered weakly to his feet only to collapse back down in a painful heap. Grimacing in distaste at the display of weakness, he flared his youki to assess the damage done to his body. It was clear that the injuries he had sustained in his other body had transferred to his adult self. And yet, the sort of injuries which could, and _had_, killed his younger self would not do the same to his adult body. But it was enough to render him helpless.

Grudgingly leaning back against the tree trunk, Sesshoumaru tried to calm his blinding rage. Anger affected judgment and he needed to be able to think objectively.

Unfortunately, his mind refused to cooperate. Growling in frustration, he closed his eyes an attempt to organize his thoughts into some semblance of order.

At the moment, in the state he was in, he had no other option but to remain there until he recovered. As much as the notion displeased him, Sesshoumaru knew that it was the only way to restore his body.

He did not know how long he had rested before the sound of snapping twigs brought him to full alertness. Tensing, he cursed his weakened state. If his enemies saw him now, they would no doubt attempt to relieve him of his life.

The sound became louder, telling him that the intruder was coming closer.

Then he saw her.

The human child's eyes were large with curiosity as she stared at him. To Sesshoumaru's consternation, her expression displayed no fear. Did he appear so weak that even a mere human child did not fear him? The notion was preposterous, and he refused to believe it.

Knowing that the child posed him no danger, he turned away from her, willing her to leave. A moment later, a shuffling sound reached him, growing softer and softer.

Good. She left, he thought darkly.

* * *

Kagome sighed dejectedly for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last one day. Yes, it had just been one day since Sesshoumaru had disappeared in a flash of light and she had no idea if he was still alive or not.

When youkai died, they did not disappear in a flash of light, right? But this was Sesshoumaru, a taiyoukai. He was practically an immortal. What if it was different for him? What if she had really messed things up this time? Should she go back to the well and reset time? But it would not help anything if he was still alive, right? If she went back now, she would be undoing everything that had happened over the last two months. It was a long time to live through again.

She missed Sesshoumaru badly and there was nothing more she wanted to do than to scour the entire countryside to look for him, but she did not know where to start.

Inuyasha's gruff voice jolted out of her contemplations. "Oi!"

Pausing in her steps, Kagome glanced at her traveling companion. Inuyasha was scowling at her, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked almost as unhappy as she was.

"What?" she muttered.

"Wipe that look off your face, will you?" Inuyasha snapped.

Kagome immediately bristled. "What look?" she retorted heatedly.

His eyes flashed momentarily, and then he averted his gaze. When he next spoke, his voice was lower. "Look, let's just get on with the things we have to do, alright? Sesshoumaru is probably still alive somewhere. And maybe the spell wore off."

Kagome inhaled slowly and then released her breath. Sometimes she forgot that Inuyasha was just as worried about Sesshoumaru as she was. This was not the same Inuyasha that she had met three years ago. This one actually got to know Sesshoumaru in a completely different way and obviously, it was enough to change his views about his brother. This Inuyasha was just as distraught as she was over Sesshoumaru's disappearance, albeit being a little more restrained about it.

"You really think the spell wore off?" she asked quietly.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Maybe."

"Where do you think he is?"

He frowned thoughtfully, looking into the distance. "I don't know."

"I wish we could find him."

This time, Inuyasha sighed. "Look, wench. Let's just find this monk you've been going on about, alright? Maybe we'll find Sesshoumaru on the way."

Kagome was not convinced. Her previous travels in the Feudal Era had told her that the place was vast when one was on foot and it would be almost impossible to find a single person, or youkai. Let alone when they did not even know the general area he might have reappeared in.

"I really hope he's okay."

"Enough about Sesshoumaru already! If the spell wore off, he's more than able to take care of himself."

Kagome bristled. "But what if it didn't? What if he's still a child? He's all alone out there, Inuyasha!"

The hanyou scowled. His tone was gruff when he finally spoke, "I've seen him fight over the last few weeks. He can handle most common enemies. So don't worry."

Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily. Maybe she was overreacting to this. After all, Inuyasha was right, that the child Sesshoumaru could take care of himself against most youkai. She glanced sideways at the hanyou, noting the expression in his eyes. Ever since Sesshoumaru had left them, the golden sparkle in Inuyasha's eyes had been dulled. It was not fair for her to take out her frustration on the hanyou.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she said quietly, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

He cast her a look of surprise, then promptly turned away. "Keh! I don't know what you're talking about!"

A genuine smile crossed her lips then. Inuyasha was still Inuyasha and that little fact reassured her greatly. Maybe, like he said, they would find Sesshoumaru on the way. It did not matter if Sesshoumaru had turned adult as long as she knew that he was safe.

That was what she had to tell herself for now.

* * *

The human girl was there again.

Irked by her presence, Sesshoumaru simply pinned a stern look on her, willing her to leave. She had been there just yesterday, and he had thought that she understood his wish to be left alone. But it was obvious that she had not taken his words to heart.

Tentatively, she approached him with something in her hands. He watched curiously as she bent down and placed a bamboo container and a leaf full of something which smelled like fish.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, his nose twitching at the pungent smell of the fish. Was the human child trying to help him? Was that why she brought him human food?

"Go away," he said flatly, speaking to her for the first time.

She just stared at him.

Feeling a little unnerved by her perusal, he continued pointedly, "I don't eat human food."

She merely tilted her head to the side, giving him a questioning look.

"Human, I'm a youkai. Do not waste your efforts on me."

She gazed at him thoughtfully. And then, she seemed to glow with resolution. With a quick nod at him, she rushed off, grinning.

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed. This human child was even odder than the miko.

The thought of the miko immediately brought forth a spark of anger.

However, as his mind replayed the events of his time with her and his hanyou brother, the anger slowly dissipated, leaving only confusion.

How could his younger self be so accepting of the situation? To travel with a human miko and a hanyou, no less.

And from what he could remember, those days had not been unpleasant. The hanyou had of course, taunted him and mocked him, but never once did Inuyasha take advantage of the situation. It was surprising, for Sesshoumaru did not expect Inuyasha to possess such sense of honor. What was more surprising was Inuyasha's willingness in the later weeks to engage in the supposed 'training' sessions.

Perhaps it was simply due to the instinct from his inuyoukai half. That instinct would urge Inuyasha to protect the younger members of his pack in any way he could. Thinking back, even though his methods was unrefined, the hanyou had not done too badly.

A smirk crossed Sesshoumaru's lips when he recalled just who was the true alpha of the pack. Whatever Inuyasha might think, it was clear that the miko was the dominant one. He had not been able to discern it fully then, but she had been rather manipulative in gaining their cooperation. It was an admirable trait as a leader of the pack, to lead them so subtly that they were not even aware of it.

Of course if he, Sesshoumaru, had been himself, then the dominant position would naturally fall to him.

The notion brought him up short, and Sesshoumaru immediately frowned in displeasure. Why was he musing upon such nonsense? Let alone wasting time thinking about the hanyou and the miko? The time was better spent recalling what else he had encountered over that two months period and what implications would it have on his adult self.

His brows furrowed as he recalled the encounter with the water elemental. Now that he possessed all his memories, he recalled what Jaken had told him about the water elemental who had been sealed for his refusal to honor an arranged mating. It was highly possible that the one he had met just weeks ago was the same elemental, for water elementals were practically extinct. But who had released him?

That particular elemental was not weak, for he had been able to sense the spell placed by his grandmother. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly when he recalled the challenging look in those blue eyes, the look which his younger self had failed to recognize. The elemental wished to test their strength against each other, something commonly done in their circle.

A smirk crossed his lips. Once he healed from his injuries, perhaps he should seek the elemental. Honor demanded that he accepted the challenge, after all.

The subtle shift in his surrounding alerted him to a foreign presence, and Sesshoumaru's senses instantly sharpened. Then his brows furrowed when the familiarity of the presence reached him. It was not long before the human girl was once again standing in front of him. And once again, her face was bright with a smile as she extended her latest offering.

Sesshoumaru could only stare disbelievingly at the squawking chicken in her arms. It was obvious that she had taken his words to heart about him not eating human food. What was unexpected was the fact that she had gone out of her way to procure a live bird for his consumption.

Taking another step forward, she thrust the chicken out at him, seemingly oblivious to the flying feathers and the indignant squawk from the bird. Faced with such an offering, Sesshoumaru found himself unable to react.

Instead, he just stared at her silently.

A moment passed before he saw her face crumple in disappointment. Somehow, her expression drew forth an unexpected feeling of guilt within him. He stiffened at the unfamiliar sensation. Why should he concern himself with a mere human child? Why was his instinct telling him that it was wrong to turn her away when his instinct was rarely wrong?

He supposed he should heed his instinct.

With an inward sigh of resignation, he reached out his hand. "You may approach."

Her face immediately brightened, giving him a toothy grin as she skipped towards him.

The chicken squawked in alarm.

* * *

The last two weeks of searching for both Miroku and Sesshoumaru had proven to be fruitless. As the days passed, Kagome grew more and more dejected.

She knew that Miroku was somewhere out there and was therefore not unduly worried about not finding him. After all, they were still ahead of schedule. Sesshoumaru, however, was another matter. She needed to know if he was alright but there was no way of finding out unless they saw him. What made things worse was the fact that they did not know Sesshoumaru well enough to guess where he could be at this moment.

She slanted a sideways glance towards the hanyou walking silently beside her on the well-worn forest path. Inuyasha was not taking it too well either. Whilst she grew increasingly dejected and frustrated, the hanyou had grown more withdrawn and silent, especially over the last one week. It was as if he was giving up all hope.

Her anxiety had not been helped by Inuyasha's refusal to speak about Sesshoumaru. She needed to talk about it! Unlike Inuyasha, she could not bottle it all up and the whole thing was driving her insane.

Slumping as she continued to walk, Kagome mulled over the idea that she had thought up a few days ago. The only person who would know Sesshoumaru's likely location was Sesshoumaru himself. Although she had no idea where the Sesshoumaru in this time could be, she knew exactly where to find the Sesshoumaru of the future.

Which led her to her predicament.

Would Sesshoumaru still be there when she went to the future? Sesshoumaru's theory evolved around the fact that the timeline between the future and the past was linked because the jewel had been in pieces in the Feudal Era. If she went back to the future now with the jewel intact within her, all she would succeed in doing was to reset the timeline.

In order _NOT _to reset the timeline, she had to take out the jewel from her body and break it, leaving a part of it in the past. A shudder coursed through her at the thought of losing shards of the jewel all over Feudal Japan again. That was the last thing she needed, considering the current mess.

But if she was _very_ careful…

It only needed a small shard broken off, right? A tiny shard that she could leave with Inuyasha or something.

But what if something went wrong?

Kagome frowned thoughtfully. What could possibly go wrong? Knowing just how powerful it was, Inuyasha would guard that shard with everything he got. Not to mention she only needed to return to the future for a short while, like maybe a few hours. What could go wrong in a few hours?

Maybe she should try it. And even if it did not work, at least she could start all over again.

She glanced sideways at the hanyou.

"Inuyasha?"

Steps not faltering, the hanyou muttered, "What?"

Biting her lips, she wondered how she should approach this. That jewel was still inside her. She was sure as hell not going to stab herself with her own arrow, so someone else had to get it out. Inuyasha knew that she had it from the first day they had met in this version of the past but he had not brought the topic up since then. So, was he still after the jewel? Or maybe something had changed and he no longer wanted it.

More importantly, could she trust Inuyasha not to run off with it? Her brows furrowed slightly. If he did, she could easily subdue him with her miko powers, right? But somehow, she did not think that Inuyasha would do that. Somehow, somewhere along the line, the hanyou had convinced her that he was trustworthy.

Might as well get to the point then, she finally decided.

"Remember the Shikon-no-Tama?" she began.

Inuyasha instantly stilled, his ears flattening slightly. Then, slowly, he turned to face her. "That centipede youkai said you have it."

Kagome nodded. "I do."

For a long while, he only stared at her, his eyes flickering with some undefined emotion. Then he tore his gaze away. "Keh! So what about it?"

"I thought you wanted it," she ventured cautiously.

His ears twitched as he resumed walking. "No."

Kagome blinked it surprise. "No?" she echoed as she ran forward to catch up with his longer strides.

"Are you deaf, wench? I said no! What the hell do I need it for?"

Did she hear him right? "You don't want to become a full demon?" she persisted in asking.

The hanyou stopped abruptly and spun to face her. Crossing his arms over his chest, Inuyasha ground out, "I don't need to be a full demon to be strong."

Kagome could hardly believe her ears. Without considering what she was saying, she pointed out, "But this was not what you said before. You wanted to be a full demon before, didn't you?"

Inuyasha spun sharply towards her, frowning deeply. "Who told you that?"

Realizing her mistake, she froze. "Um…"

Glancing away quickly, Inuyasha muttered, "That brat must have told you."

That brat? Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha had spoken to Sesshoumaru about this? Kagome did not know what to think of it. Sesshoumaru must have somehow changed Inuyasha's mind about becoming a full demon.

Starting to walk again, Inuyasha declared, "I don't need to be a full-demon to be powerful." Then, almost as if he was speaking to himself, he added quietly, "I only need to harness my own strength."

Those sounded like words Sesshoumaru would say. The child Sesshoumaru's presence during their journey had changed things in ways she had not anticipated at all. Smiling wistfully, Kagome decided that she would not change this timeline if she could help it. Inuyasha had grown so much in such a short time compared to the other version of the past. And it was all because of that little mess she had made. Maybe the past was meant to be this way in the first place.

Then she realized that she has yet to talk to Inuyasha about the jewel.

"Listen, Inuyasha."

Pausing again, this time to scowl at her, Inuyasha snapped impatiently, "What now, wench?!"

She took a deep breath. "I need a favor."

* * *

The humid breeze flowed past Sesshoumaru as he glided just under the clouds.

Staring down at the bare, almost lifeless forest, Sesshoumaru allowed himself to recall how it had been five hundred years ago. The forest had thrived then, its greenness almost blinding in its intensity. Food had been plentiful for humans and youkai alike then.

Somewhere along the line, something had gone wrong. The skies were no longer blue and the forest was no longer green. Those colors were now deformed, a sickly imitation of what they had been. The water which flowed along the rivers was now thick, darkened with soot and waste, unlike the crystal clear freshness it had exhibited five hundred years ago.

Too many things had happened since then to pinpoint the moment things had changed. Perhaps it was not one event but the accumulation of several which had caused this. Idly, he wondered if the miko's presence in the past would now change thing again and if it did, would he be there to observe it.

Considering the unpredictable nature of time-travel, Sesshoumaru doubted it.

A flare of youki caught his attention then, drawing him from his contemplation. He slanted a glance to the right to see the approach of a familiar nekomata. Keeping his cloud stationary, he waited for the white youkai to catch up with him.

When Kirara finally halted before him, Sesshoumaru raised a questioning brow.

Without words, the nekomata communicated that she sensed the arrival of the miko from the past. Surprised, Sesshoumaru glanced towards the east. Why was she back again? Had she succeeded in her task? Had something untoward occurred?

Nodding his acknowledgment to Kirara, Sesshoumaru turned around and transformed into his traveling orb. In a flash, he shot across the sky, heading straight for the miko's shrine. It did not take long for him to arrive and when he did, he dispelled the orb and landed on his feet. His senses told him that the miko was in the kitchen, talking to her mother.

Deciding to wait until she was finished, Sesshoumaru settled next to the building. Soon, the miko appeared, wearing the very same attire he had given her the first time they met in this era. At least she had the sense to remain dressed decently.

Impatient to find out what had brought her back, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the shadows.

Her eyes immediately widened when she saw him. To Sesshoumaru's consternation, she then launched herself towards him. He did not have the presence of mind to react to the unexpectedness and the next thing he knew, he was encircled tightly within her arms.

"You're here!" she exclaimed into his chest.

Sesshoumaru rather confused by her tears of relief. Why was the miko bawling? And why had she returned?

And how dare she assault his person without his consent?

"Miko," he ground out, his tone displaying his displeasure. Firmly dislodging her arms from his body, he held her at arm's length before asking, "Why are you here? What had happened in the past?"

She shook her head quickly. "A lot of things changed from the last time, but nothing had been reset so far. I just needed to come back."

Sesshoumaru did not like the sound of it. If what she had said was true, then there could only be one thing which allowed her to return in this manner. And that one thing was possibly the worst thing she could have done in the Feudal Era.

"Where is the jewel?" he asked slowly.

Her eyes flickered and she began to fidget. "Well… I broke it."

Stiffening immediately, Sesshoumaru pinned a cold stare on her. "You shattered the jewel again?" he asked, keeping his voice even.

"No! I only chipped off a tiny shard. I left it in the past so that I can come back here and then return to the same time," she explained quickly. "It's safe."

Safe? "And where is this shard?" he asked flatly.

"Inuyasha is keeping it."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, willing himself to remain calm. If he was not mistaken, Inuyasha was hardly a responsible hanyou at that time. The miko should have known better. What had possessed her to do such a thing? When he opened his eyes again, he found the miko staring at him questioningly. Clearly, she had no inkling of his current displeasure.

"You left the shard with Inuyasha," he intoned flatly.

Her eyes flashed. "I didn't have any other choice, did I?"

"Why did you shatter the jewel, Miko? What is so important that you must return?"

Throwing her arms up in the air in a show of exasperation, the miko snapped, "I told you I didn't shatter the jewel! I broke one tiny shard off, that's all. And I put the rest back inside my body, complete with this new protection ward I suddenly remembered I knew!"

"You did not answer the question."

"Because I want to get back here to see you!" she declared loudly.

Taken aback, Sesshoumaru could only stare at her. Why was the miko so desperate to see him? They shared nothing in common but Inuyasha. What had happened in the past?

His expression must have betrayed his question because she began to explain, "Look, Sesshoumaru. Things are different back there now. There are too many things to explain but I came back to ask you something."

He waited for her to continue.

"I need to know the places you used to go to around that time."

His brows instantly furrowed. "Why?"

She averted her eyes then. "It's complicated," she hedged.

Something told him that the matter had to be severe for the miko to break the jewel simply to return to ask him such a question. And from what she had said, he deduced that it had something to do with him. What had she done to his past self?

"You will explain the reason behind your question, Miko," he bit out in an uncompromising tone.

She exhaled loudly. "Remember the tomb where I pulled Tetsusaiga out?"

"Hn."

"Things got a little… messy."

Growing increasingly impatient at the miko's reluctance to continue, Sesshoumaru bit out, "Miko. Tell me."

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Your grandmother appeared. And she… Well, she turned you back into a child."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in astonishment. A pup, she meant. And why was his deceased grandmother present? What had the foolish miko done to the past? Deciding to find out more, he prompted, "A child?"

The miko nodded. "She appeared right after some blood was spilled on the stone. I think the blood must have activated something and the next thing I know, you're a kid."

This was preposterous. Expression darkening, Sesshoumaru asked tersely, "Why did she turn me into a pup?"

A weak laugh escaped the miko then. "Ah… You see… You kind of insisted on bullying Inuyasha."

Bullying? It appeared that things had changed more than he had anticipated. Recalling what else had happened in the tomb, Sesshoumaru asked, "My arm?"

The sigh she expelled was one of relief. "You got out with both arms intact, thankfully. I can't imagine what it would be like to have you as a child with one arm missing. And before you ask, no, I couldn't have left you alone then. You were too young. So I persuaded you to come along with me and Inuyasha."

Displeasure surged through him at the notion that he was traveling as a weak pup with the miko and his hanyou brother. Inuyasha had no doubt taken advantage of the situation.

"To cut a long story short, you got hurt in a battle. And then you disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

The miko nodded. "There was a flash of light and then you were gone. That was a few days ago and we've been trying to find you ever since. Sesshoumaru…"

Her voice trembled and to Sesshoumaru's chagrin, her eyes began to water. Hardening his expression, he warned, "Do not bawl, Miko."

She sniffed, wiping the back of her hands across her eyes. "You were so badly hurt, Sesshoumaru. I'm worried… worried that you might not make it."

Disgruntled by her open display of emotions, he intoned, "You underestimate me."

"You don't understand!" she exclaimed in a louder voice. "You got hurt as a child, Sesshoumaru! You were not as strong as you are now!"

It was beginning to sound as if this miko had developed a certain affection towards his past self, albeit a much younger version of himself. She was clearly distraught at the notion that he had been badly injured. An odd feeling came over Sesshoumaru then, one which he thought he had forgotten. Rin was the one who had brought forth such feeling when she had tended to him so many years ago.

"Miko. Return to the past," he instructed.

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. "But-"

"Have you met Rin?"

"No. I haven't met Rin. I don't think you did, either."

"Then seek for me to the south of the wolf tribe's lair."

She blinked at him in astonishment. "Kouga's lair?"

"That was where I reappeared after the incident in the tomb," he elaborated.

"Oh. You think that will be where you reappear this time round?"

"It is likely. Rin should be there as well." After a pause, he said, "Make sure Rin is not killed by the wolves."

Her eyes rounded. "Was that was happened before?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I revived her using Tenseiga."

She gasped. "No! In that case, I'd better get back now."

"Retrieve the shard from Inuyasha. He's not yet able to protect it." Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "Unless he had mastered Tetsusaiga?"

She shook her head. "No. He got a handle on Kaze-no-Kizu and Bakuryuuha but nothing else."

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed slightly. "It had not taken him as long this time."

"I know. But the situations were a little different this time round." Her eyes flickered. "I could have used my miko powers to help out in the battles, but I held back because I think Inuyasha needed those battles to improve. He was trying to protect both of us."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as her words sank in. Both of them? Impossible. Why would Inuyasha seek to protect him? Even as a child, he would not have stood back and allowed himself to be protected like a helpless being.

"Inuyasha is really upset that you're gone," she murmured almost absently.

It was inconceivable that Inuyasha would be upset about his demise in those days. However, the sincerity in the miko's eyes told him that she had spoken nothing but the truth. Uncertain how he should respond, Sesshoumaru decided that it was best to end the conversation.

"Do not waste time. Go, Miko."

She nodded. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I'll try my best to fix things."

"Hn."

* * *

It was a short meeting but Kagome was glad she had made the trip.

Without Sesshoumaru's information, they would not have a clue where to start. But now, she could ask Inuyasha to lead them towards Kouga's lair. If she remembered correctly, it was in the east, so it should not take them long to reach their destination.

Kagome darted a backward glance towards her house as she pushed the door to the well house open. It had taken some convincing before her mother was satisfied that she had came back merely because their house was along the way of her travel route. Thankfully, her mother did not ask for further details when she declared that she had to leave again. Alternate future or not, she hated lying to her mother and would prefer not to do it.

Stepping into the dark well house, she quickly made her way to the well. Soon, she was enveloped by the familiar brilliant blue light as she descended. Climbing up the well when she arrived, she wondered idly if Inuyasha was still seated where she had left him. They had parted at the river which bisected Kaede's village. Pulling herself out of the well, she began to run towards the village.

"Inuyasha?" she called out as she reached the river.

"Wench," came the gruff response from behind her.

Kagome turned around to find Inuyasha sitting high on a tree branch, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked grumpy but she put it down to the fact that he had been waiting for her. Inuyasha never took well to waiting in all those years she had known him.

Impatient to share the news, she exclaimed, "I think I know where Sesshoumaru is."

Inuyasha immediately dropped down to land beside her. "How did you find out?"

She shrugged evasively. "It's a miko thing."

The hanyou gave her a skeptical look.

"Well, he's not far from the Eastern Wolf Tribe's lair. Do you know where that is?" she asked.

"Keh! Of course I do. You can smell the stink from everywhere."

Kagome almost groaned. If Inuyasha was thinking like this now, she was certain that there would be trouble when they met up with Kouga. But without the jewel, what would Kouga be like?

"So let's go, Inuyasha," she urged as she began to walk. "Sesshoumaru is still hurt, you know."

Inuyasha made a sound she could not quite decipher, but she ignored it. Then the rest of Sesshoumaru's words came back to her, prompting her to turn to the hanyou.

"Oh, where's the shard? I think it's safe to join them back together now."

Inuyasha averted his eyes.

His reaction instantly brought a feeling of trepidation upon her and her steps stilled.

"Inuyasha?" she prompted anxiously.

"It's gone."

She blinked slowly. He could not have said what she thought he had said, could he? Because he just said…

"It's GONE?!" she bellowed furiously.

* * *


End file.
